hackGU: Return
by zero yasha
Summary: A month after the end of the Third Network Crisis, Haseo and Co. are living freely in 'The World'. But what happens when an old 'evil' returns, with all new problems as well? A fourth 'game' for the series. SPOILERS! First Fic, Please R&R!
1. Arrival

.hack//G.U. and all of its characters belong to Cyber Connect and Bandai. Eon belongs to me, so no stealing her, and any other OC's that will join this fanfic will be a mixture of my other characters or Miffin's characters. Also, if you have any ideas about future chapters feel free to E-mail me and we can converse! I'll make sure to put in credit to all ideas added.

Oh yes, _**LOTS**_ of spoilers from the third G.U. game are in here, so if you haven't beat it or don't want spoilers, don't read this.

Chapter 1: Arrival

Haseo sighed irritably. Ten minutes. Ten minutes to transfer from the Mac Anu server to Breg Epona, and she _still_ wasn't there.

"Atoli is _sure_ taking her time today, isn't she Haseo?" Zelkova asked innocently, apparently unfazed by his former Guild Member's absence.

"Taking her _time_?" Haseo asked, a hint of malice on the tip of his tongue. "_She _was the one that invited _us_ here today! The one that said that _she'd_ be here in a _minute_! It's already been_ ten,_ Zelkova! Where the _hell_ is she?" The Adept Rogue demanded, making the nearest players jump in surprise.

"Why don't you calm down Haseo," Zelkova advised, giving him his normal childish grin. "She'll be here soon; it happened all the time when she was in Moon Tree."

_When she was in Moon Tree?_ Haseo thought. It'd already been a month since Moon Tree was almost completely disbanded; only the area remained. Most of the players that were in it had either quit the Guild or playing The World all together.

"But this _isn't_ Moon Tree, Zelkova!" He insisted angrily, "Moon Tree doesn't even really exist anymore—" He cut himself off before he could make any more damage, forgetting that Zelkova was the former Guild Master of the incredibly large Anti-PK Guild. Looking at the Flick Reaper, he didn't see any change in his grinning expression, though sensed that he should've kept his mouth shut.

He turned his back to Zelkova, unable to look him in the eye after his blunder. "I'll give her five more minutes to get here. If she's not here by then, I'm leaving." He announced, looking slightly over his shoulder to the nodding Guild Master.

Exactly four minutes and fifty four seconds later, Atoli came through the Chaos Gate, panting.

"I-I'm so sorry that I'm late!" She squeaked quickly, bowing her head to the two of them.

"It's alright Atoli!" Zelkova greeted cheerfully.

"No it is NOT alright!" Haseo cut in, "you were the one that asked us to adventure with you today! What took you so long to get here?"

Atoli flinched before answering carefully, "well, eh heh... You see, when I was in Mac Anu, just after I short-mailed you two, I was leaving the plaza but then I ran into Alkaid, and she asked me where I was going to in such a hurry. You know what she would have been like if I told her that I was adventuring with you Haseo!" Atoli put in quickly, shaking her arms up and down frantically. "So I had to come up with an excuse, but none would come to me, so I said the first thing that came to mind..." She muttered.

"And that was?" Haseo asked, crossing his arms and looking at her dryly.

"Well..." Atoli muttered, "I told her that I was going to level up... That was truthful, wasn't it? But then Alkaid said, 'Alone?' and then I said yes!" Atoli seem frantic and on the verge of tears, even for a PC body. "So then, Alkaid was like, 'That won't do!' and then made me come on an adventure with her!" She finished.

Haseo was silent for a moment, then slowly put his hand to his forehead in his usual 'I can't believe it' way. "You _know_ that you could have refused her offer, right?" He asked, trying to remain calm. As much as he'd changed over the course of defeating AIDA and fighting Cubia to save The World, his impatience seemed to be the only thing that lingered.

There was silence between them as Atoli looked to the ground sheepishly.

"Weren't you going to bring us on an adventure today, Atoli?" Zelkova finally asked, smiling. "What area words are we going to use today?"

"Oh! R-right!" Atoli stuttered, giving Zelkova a silent thanks as she recited the words, "Sigma, Returning, Disappointment, End of Dreams"

Haseo grunted as he added Atoli into the party and started to flip through the area words that he'd already gathered. At least it was better then going through an area just to fight some AIDA, or even Cubia Gomora's...

-------------------- Sigma: Returning Disappointment End of Dreams ---------------

Eon sighed, bored out of her mind as she leaned against the outer wall of the dungeon. "It use to be more interested than this..." She growled to herself, her right thumb flicking her sword in and out of its sheath at a steady pace.

Two weeks had passed since she woke up from what the doctors called a coma from 'over-exhaustion by gaming'.

_Yeah right!_ She thought irritably. _The only reason that I was in a coma at _all_ was because of that man with the weird arm!_ She shivered at the thought of it. All that she could remember from that day was the orange light outlining the Steam Gunner, twice her size, and his manic grin. The thing on his arm opened. The cracking sound of the lock was clear in her head. She remembered the throbbing pain in her head and gut. Then everything went black.

"I _knew_ I should have studied that day..." She muttered to herself dryly. Not only had her character level been reduced dramatically, but the few Member Addresses that she had were gone too.

_What happened to all of my data anyway?_ She wondered. This was the first time that she'd been able to play The World in four months. It was a downer that she'd lost everything to go with it.

"Enough!" The Blade Brandier suddenly barked, standing up straight and clenching her character's hands into fists. "It's time to level up and _finally _get some action flowing!" She announced, looking determined…until the fact that she was level six in a level one hundred and twenty three area set in.

_Maybe I should have chosen a WEAKER area..._ She considered, though disregarded it, turning to face the inside of the dungeon. _Well, let's see how far I can get anyway!_ With that, Eon stalked into the mouth of the dungeon.

--------------------------Five Minutes Later-------------------------------

The familiar sound of dungeon music filled his ears as Haseo, Atoli and Zelkova teleported into Sigma, Returning Disappointment End of Dreams. Haseo blinked the brightness of the transfer from his eyes then scanned the area.

"A forest dungeon, huh..." He muttered, using a fairy's orb. He opened the map. "It looks like this area is pretty straightforward... Or at least this floor of the dungeon." He noted as he pointed out the simple curved-line structure of the dungeon.

"It looks like there aren't very many turn-offs to get lost in," Zelkova agreed, his smile brightening. "Do you know what that means?"

Atoli shook her head, having not been in a party with Zelkova very many times.

"What does it mean?" Haseo asked. _A lack of monsters?_

"Lots and lots of Chim Chims of course!" Zelkova announced.

Haseo nearly fell over.

_How old IS this kid?_ _He can give me the Xth Form, Hack into Tartarga, the Netslum, AND give me an Avatar Awakening, but he still chases Chim Chims!_ He brooded, though it agreed with all of posts on the BBS about Zelkova chasing Chim Chims while Kaede did the dirty work of fighting the monsters off. Maybe it was his way of Role Playing like a normal player.

"Sure..." Haseo muttered. He started into the depths of the dungeon.

The monsters in this particular dungeon were far from what Haseo would call decent to level up with. After each fight, even with a Rengeki bonus, the party barely gained seventy Experience each, nor any decent items. He wasn't willing to tell Atoli what he really thought though; he wasn't going to risk another break down from the Harvest Cleric, or another attempt of her sicking the Area's Lucky Animals on him (though how she had even managed the first time was the true question here...).

"We're almost to the end of this floor." Zelkova stated calmly as they rounded a bend into another room.

Something was off. For a room as big as this one, there wasn't a single monster in sight.

"Where are all of the monsters?" Atoli asked, looking around the empty room. Not even a treasure chest or a single mushroom remained in the room; only the few passing Chim Chims on their train in the corner.

"I don't know..." Haseo answered as he scanned the area as well. "Maybe this area is part of a quest?" He suggested, though he doubted it. He'd read nothing about any new quests yet; not after the Forest of Pain had just closed again.

"Maybe someone got here before us." Zelkova said as he started to walk towards the Chim Chim train, then kicked the steam switch button, sending three Chim Chims, two blue and one yellow, flying to the floor before chasing them and kicking them joyfully.

"Well that sounds probable," Atoli agreed, and chased after the quick yellow Chim Chim.

"I guess so..." Haseo mumbled, though couldn't help but feel like something was still off somehow. Maybe it was just the lack of excitement since they fought Cubia, or the burrito that he ate at lunch, but whatever the reason was, he didn't like it.

"Let's get going." Haseo announced, just as Zelkova finally caught up to and kicked the yellow Chim Chim.

"Whatever you say, Haseo!" Zelkova chimed cheerfully and ran back over to him, Atoli not far behind.

---------------------------------Three Minutes Earlier----------------------------------

Eon stepped lively as the giant bird-like monster swung its huge head toward her.

_One hit and I'm done for!_ She thought frantically as she just barely dodged the attack, only for the goblin-type monster behind her to swing its sword at her.

_I'm finished!_ She thought as the sword came, shutting her eyes tightly. Even if it was just a video game, she couldn't bear the thought of watching her own defeat from a monster THAT much stronger than herself.

She was silent and waited.

The attack never came.

_Huh...?_ She slowly opened up one of her eyes to look at what happened to her attacker.

The Goblin before her was still, before slowly falling backwards, only to disappear in a flash of grey and orange light.

_What...?_ She wondered. She turned in a 180 to the giant red bird.

Gone.

"What...?" Eon asked aloud, before she spotted the reason for this strange occurrence.

"Well, that wasn't too tough. Whaddaya think, Asta?" A silver-haired male asked a shorter broad sword-wielder as she put away the giant blade.

"I dunno, IYOTEN... I've seen better..." She answered, turning her attention to Eon. "What're you doing in a place like this, kid? Don't you SEE that the monsters here are _way_ above your current level?" She asked harshly.

Eon let out an angry "Pft" and glared back at the newcomer. Wasn't it a _little_ obvious that she figured it out with the running away and the lack of smokescreens?

"Hey now, Asta, I think she figured it out." The Steam Gunner told his companion, "but she's a N00b, so what can you expect?"

Eon turned to IYOTEN and gave him a glare. "I am NOT a N00b!" She snarled.

"Is that so..." IYOTEN muttered, obviously thinking. "Well then, I guess that it can't be helped then, can it?" He asked, though it was mostly directed towards himself more so then Asta. "I guess that no harm can come from bringing her to the Beast Statue, can it, Asta?"

"Guess not." The Broad Sword wielder answered cheerfully, though Eon felt strange with their sudden offer.

"So, you comin'?" IYOTEN asked Eon, holding his arm out in her direction.

Eon hesitated. Something seemed wrong here, even if they_ did_ just save her. Why would they suddenly ask some 'n00b', as they liked to put it, to suddenly go to the Beast Statue? Wouldn't it be better if they just brought her to the nearest warp panel? Or at least give her a smokescreen or two?

Misgivings aside, it wasn't as if she could just overlook their invitation. The two of them _had_ just saved her from a game over, and she had no smokescreens left to get passed the monsters that she ran from in the rooms before.

"I...guess so..." She answered slowly, turning towards the passageway leading to the next area.

"Off we go!" Asta announced loudly, racing into the next area, IYOTEN behind her.

Eon waited a moment for the two of them to get into the next area before she followed.

_Why am I so...nervous...?_ She wondered, but shook it off and raced after her two rescuers.

Haseo was walking at a leisure pace for once, rather then running through the area like he normally did.

_What happened to all of the monsters?_ He wondered. It'd been two floors since they'd last seen any sign of a monster. Could this place really be a quest? Or were there really some other players here? If so, they couldn't be too far from them now. To have obliterated so many monsters must've taken quite a while, and the person or party that did so must've been powerful too.

Haseo tightened his fist, quickly letting it go limp again before his two Moon Tree companions could notice how much this was bothering him.

_What will happen when we meet?_ He wondered before a shrill squeak came from beside him, making him jump.

"What?" He yelled in surprise, only to see Atoli there.

"Look! It's the Golden Bird, Haseo! The _Golden Bird!_" She yelled, pointing towards the corner of their current room.

Haseo turned his gaze towards it, then let out a small sigh of relief before turning to Atoli.

"Don't do that!" He demanded without even thinking.

"Do what...?" Atoli questioned.

"Scream like that out of nowhere!"

"But I was here the whole time..." Atoli whimpered, then turned to Zelkova, "Right?"

"Yep! She was right here, Haseo!" Zelkova chirped.

Haseo grit his teeth. "Well then—stop standing in my blind spot!" He yelled, turning to the Golden Bird and racing toward it at full speed, ready to take out some of his anger by abusing the poor thing with the strongest kick that he had.

Atoli looked down at her feet sheepishly. Out of everything that had happened with Cubia and AIDA, she still seemed to have the ability to find the 'Terror of Death's' blind spot without even trying, to her dismay and obviously his.

After Haseo had successfully kicked the Golden Bird with his entire PC Body might, the three of them continued onward. The Golden Bird's effect was useless, there being no monsters in the area to even turn into treasure boxes for them to pilfer.

"Looks like this is the last area of this dungeon." Zelkova observed as he finished using the Fairy Queen's Orb on the map to see their current location. A little red flashing arrow pointed in the direction that the party was generally facing, and little symbols of warp panels and the few Chim Chim Harvesting areas in the area were also displayed. "The chest near the warp panel must be the Beast Treasure chest."

"Yeah," Haseo agreed, taking a closer look at the map. "This seems like the fastest route," he pointed out a thin route around all of the main rooms. "Let's take this way."

"Okay, whatever you say Haseo!" Atoli agreed quickly, though not before standing straight in front of him to stop from any further 'blind spot' incidents.

Haseo gave a curt nod as the party quickly trekked around the major rooms until they came across a Chim Door. He quickly inserted the five Chim Spheres needed to open the door and it slid open instantly, only to reveal a battle zone no more then ten feet away from them.

"What?" Atoli asked, "A battle zone, here? So close to the Beast Treasure?"

Haseo remained silent, only looking at the blue barrier before him, but agreed with Atoli completely. Out of the two years that he'd played The World, he'd never seen a battle zone in the room before the Beast Statue. Monsters weren't stationed in such a place, and PKer's normally waited until they were at the Beast Statue, if not, floors above or before.

"C'mon!" Haseo barked, pulling out his twin guns. "We've got to help whoever's in there!"

"Agreed!" Zelkova said, nodding. "PKing is a horrible thing to do, and must be stopped, even if it means to have to be a part of the fight!" He then pulled out his Goddess Scythe and looked toward the blue barrier, obviously conflicted about his Anti-PK philosophy.

"Yes! Let's go, Haseo!" Atoli agreed, bringing out her staff.

With a quick nod, Haseo charged at the barrier, and with little more then a few quick shocks, entered the fray, Zelkova and Atoli at his side.

IYOTEN and Asta turned instinctively when they heard the barrier breached by outsiders. It wasn't like their newest prey would be able to put up enough of a fight to stop them anyway, so what difference did it make to turn their back on such a weakling?

"Who are you—" IYOTEN cut himself off the moment that he saw the one that he was facing, and even Asta's PC body looked pale.

"T-the 'Terror of Death'!" She exclaimed, staring at Haseo in horror. Of anyone to have come to this kid's rescue, why him? Not only did the PK Tournament two months back tell them that they were no match for him, but they even had two Moon Tree members with them! Kestrel's previous biggest threat!

"Wh-what do you want?" IYOTEN demanded, taking a step away from Haseo and his team.

Haseo only gave a fierce grin in their reaction. After all of this time, even after the PK Tournament, and the battle with all of the Cubia Gomora's, they still couldn't remember that they were the ones that PKed him on his first day in The World. Even if they were the reason that he met Ovan and the became part of the Twilight Brigade, and found out so much about himself and The World, and even the reason for all of the people that he'd met, he couldn't believe how ironic it was. Here they were, shaking in their PC Body boots in terror of _him_, the opposite of what happened on that day two years ago.

"I came..." Haseo growled, "to save _her_!" He announced, pointing at Eon, who was backing as close to the barrier that she could without taking any damage from it.

_Well, at least a late entry is better then none at all..._ Eon thought as she crouched wearily away from IYOTEN and Asta. _I wonder who he is though...to scare em like that?_

IYOTEN looked like he was going to faint with fear. They all knew that once two opposite sides had entered a battle zone, neither could leave until the other was gone, or a smokescreen was used...and Kestrel members rarely carried such a 'useless' item with them. IYOTEN and Asta were no exception.

"W-w-we won't lose! Not like the PK Tournament!" He managed, though the shaking didn't make it a very believable statement.

"Y-yes!" Asta agreed, holding her broad sword's hilt so hard that her PC Body's knuckles where white.

"I guess we'll see about that then, now shouldn't we?" Haseo asked coolly, holding his twin guns in a ready position.

Asta jumped and IYOTEN looked around frantically from party member to party member, to Haseo.

"Th-this can't be!" He yelled angrily, and charged at Haseo blindly.

It was over in seconds for IYOTEN. Haseo used only six shots, then used 'Justice', followed by the Double Trigger Technique 'Judgement' to shoot him up into the air and into the barrier, which he bounced off of, dead before he even reached the ground.

"I-IYOTEN!" Asta yelled, staring at where her partner's body had just been, before vanishing in a mixture of orange and black light.

Haseo narrowed his eyes as he reloaded his weapon, then aimed one of them at her.

"Stop!" She yelled, jumping back to the opposite side of the barrier.

Haseo paused, but only to see what futile attempt the Kestrel PKer was planning.

"If you attack me..." Asta started, holding her broad sword ready, "then she dies!" She threatened, holding the end of the broadsword to Eon's neck, making her flinch and nearly hit the barrier she was so close to.

Haseo grit his teeth. Before, he gained his title as the 'Terror of Death' from not caring about what happened to those around him. All that he cared about back then was fighting Tri-Edge, and taking out any PKer that didn't know anything about him. He even killed 100 PKer's, just to get stronger, but now he was different… Shino had already returned from being a Lost One, and not only her, but all of the other Lost Ones as well! He had no reason to act so carelessly anymore; to ruin the game for more people like the PKer's that roamed The World.

Eon looked down at the broad sword to her neck. Even a _touch_ of it could kill her at her current level.  
_Why did it turn out like this?_ She wondered, lifting her gaze to the now hesitating 'Terror of Death', as they liked to call him.

"That's not fair!" Atoli couldn't help but call to Asta, "she did nothing to you!"

"What does that matter?" Asta asked, lifting the broad sword to Eon's eye level, "It's like Gabi always says: "let the PKer's, PK!" So what if there's one less n00b in The World? It's not like CC Corp. cares! In fact, they _allowed _PKing, just for some ratings!" She explained, grinning, "IYOTEN and I are only doing a _service_ for The World as regular patrons!"

Haseo couldn't even look at Asta after her stupid remark. _Doing a _service_ for __The World__?_ He thought, gripping the guns in his fists tighter. If she really thought that, then he must be doing The World a service as well: by destroying every PKer that walked that path!

Asta was now laughing, though at what, Eon was _very_ unclear on. Her first day in The World after four months of being comatose in a hospital bed; what a _lovely_ way to start it off, no? She looked around desperately for a way to escape, but she had no smokescreens _still_, and she'd take too much damage if she backed up any farther into the barrier.

_Well, good by cruel, cruel, __The World_. She thought sarcastically, giving Haseo one last desperate look.

"You _really_ think that _you're_ doing The World a favour?" The Adept Rogue demanded as he looked to the ground, arms shaking not with fear, but with anger.

Asta didn't seem to notice, though stiffened slightly to listen timidly.

"If _you_ are doing a _favour_ to this 'World', then I too," Haseo growled, looking up at Asta, raising his twin guns to face her, "am doing this 'World' the favour of _destroying_ you!" He yelled, and within the blink of an eye used the Skill Trigger command, switching to his broad sword. "Armour Break!" He screamed, lunging at Asta at full speed and cut down on her PC body five times, before a hard, finishing vertical blow.

Asta fell just like IYOTEN, and within moments, was nothing more then some orange and black light disappearing from the fray.

Almost instantly the barrier disappeared. Eon gasped as if she hadn't taken in a breath for days, before falling onto her butt, starring blankly at the wall in front of herself.

"Wow Haseo! That was so cool!" Zelkova praised cheerfully as he put his scythe away behind himself, disappearing.

Haseo gave a grunt of acknowledgement, putting his broad sword away in a similar fashion to Zelkova.

"Are you alright?" Atoli questioned frantically, rushing towards Eon without a second thought. "Do you need healing?" She asked, holding her staff close. Without an answer she cast Ol Rep on her.

Haseo shook his arm in his usual, 'c'mon, let's go!' way, then approached the shocked n00b casually.

"You okay?" He asked, and to his surprise, she stood up quickly, as if nothing had happened to her at all.

Eon nodded, a little grin on her face, and took a step towards Haseo.

"Yes, I'm fine... _You IDIOT!_" She yelled, making Haseo flinch back in shock from the sudden tone to her saviour. Eon grit her teeth and clenched her fists, looking like she was about to attack him. "If you could have done that, then _why_ did you wait? Even for a PC body like _yours_, the Skill Trigger _had_ to have been full _minutes_ ago!" Eon ranted, glaring at him. "She could've killed me anytime!"

Haseo couldn't help but glare back at his rescued 'damsel in distress.' Who did she think that she was, yelling at him after _he_ just saved her from not one, but _two_ PKer's?

Sensing the tension in the air, Atoli stepped between the two of them before there could be any further hostilities, or even worse, Haseo ending up PKing this...newbie? Atoli was shocked when she looked at Eon's low HP. 212 HP? What level _was_ this girl?

"N-now now Haseo! Why don't we escort her to the Beast Statue?" She suggested quickly, though the question about Eon's stats still burning in the back of her mind.

"I agree." Zelkova said, "with a level _that_ low, it could be troublesome for her if there are anymore Kestrel PKer's ahead." He explained. If Zelkova found it strange about a now level ten 'newbie' being in a dungeon levelled one hundred and thirteen levels higher then her current level, he didn't show it.

"Alright!" Haseo growled, still angry about how Eon snapped at him for waiting. _I should have just let Asta PK her..._ he thought bitterly as he watched Zelkova lead the way into the long hallway that lead to the Beast Statue, Eon falling into less then five steps behind him.

Eon herself wasn't pleased with Haseo. Who did he think that he was? If his level was _that_ high, he could have taken out Asta in seconds, but _noooooo_, he prolonged it, and she nearly _did_ end up PKed! She brushed a black bang from her PC body's eyes as she followed the shortest one in 'The Terror of Death's' party to the Beast Statue. This was _definitely_ not her day...

"So, um..." Atoli started, trying to break the ice between the two, though it'd be difficult with this ice being the size of a glacier… "W-what are you doing in an area like this?" She questioned, though received a cold, green glare in place of an answer.

"Training." Eon answered simply, before hearing Haseo let out a small 'tch'. She wheeled around on him in an instant, her PC body's green eyes aflame. "I was _so _training, you moron!" She yelled, clenching her fists together tight. "If not for...for that _guy_, I'd still be level one hundred and nineteen!" Eon yelled, completely enraged now. "This was the _first_ time that I got to play The World in _months_!"

"What...?" Haseo asked, his anger replaced with curiosity. "What _guy_?"

"N-none o' your bee's wax!" Eon answered quickly. She knew that it was weird enough that she was PKed by the guy with the arm and ended up in a coma. What was weirder though, was what he said to her before the fatal strike.

"_Return...as the Judgement!"_

Eon shivered in the real world. What did he mean by that? Not that it really mattered to her anyway... She only played 'The World' since she couldn't go outside.

Back into the game.

"Helloooo?" Haseo called, waving a hand in front of her face. "Anyone in there, brat?" He asked, only to receive an elbow into his gut.

Minus Three HP.

"Don't call me a brat." Eon growled, pulling her arm away from Haseo. "It's rude."

"And _hitting _me in the gut ISN'T?"

"Enough talk! Let's get this over with!" the Brandier announced, running ahead of Zelkova and into the final room of the dungeon, though not before taking a weary glance around, to make sure no PKer's were going to suddenly jump them.

Haseo grunted as he followed Atoli and Zelkova into the room.

"Great, so we're here." He muttered unenthusiastically, though Atoli seemed to not notice, or at least not let it dampen her mood for once.

"We did it Haseo!" She announced happily, "We cleared the area, Sigma Returning Disappointment End of Dreams! Now we can get the treasure from the Beast Statue!"

Haseo only grunted in response as he approached the treasure chest.

"I wonder what it'll be!" Zelkova chirped enthusiastically behind him. "Maybe some armour, or maybe a really good accessory!"

"Yes! Maybe a rare item of some sort!" Atoli chimed in.

Eon merely crossed her arms and waited. Truth be told, she never went in a dungeon this highly levelled before. It wasn't like she was in a Guild, or had some collection going like some players did, so there was no reason for her to go out of her way to even get to the Beast Treasure Chest. She didn't even have any real reason to really even play The World other than to pass the time. Items were to of no interest to her, as well as levels.

Haseo walked to the chest and kicked it to open.

Nothing happened.

"…what...?" He asked, kicking it again.

No change in its current closed and locked status.

"What the—what's wrong with this chest?" Haseo demanded, giving it another fierce, yet failed kick.

"Hmm...?" Zelkova murmured, looking closely at it. "It _looks_ like a normal chest." He commented.

"Maybe you need to open it with your hands, rather than your feet." Atoli tried, wondering herself why it didn't open after not one, but three of Haseo's deadly, Chim Chim murdering kicks.

Haseo reached down and tried to pry the chest open with his hands.

No go after all...

"Hmmm... well this _is_ odd." Zelkova said, tilting his head to think. "Do you really think that this is part of a quest after all?"

"Well, that is a possibility, isn't it, Haseo?" Atoli asked. "Weren't there posts on BBS about the Abyss quest starting like this?"

"Yeah, but the quest is _done_. We finished it in the Forest of Pain, remember?" Haseo asked, surprised that Atoli could really forget fighting something as powerful as what they faced in that one hundred-block forest.

"I-I guess..." Atoli murmured quickly, looking down at her feet for the third time that Haseo had seen that day.

"Heh," Eon murmured, making Haseo turn to her, obviously forgetting her presence completely. "_Baka_," she said, stepping towards the chest, "can't even open something like this?" She asked, aiming a kick towards it.

Eon truly hoped that it would open, if not, she would like an even bigger idiot then Haseo right now.

There was a small click that echoed around the room as the chest flew open.

_YES!_ She thought, resisting the urge to shoot her arm up into the air in triumph.

"Wow, looks like she had you beat, Haseo." Zelkova noted calmly, to Haseo's dismay.

"What's inside?" Atoli inquired as Haseo glanced into the chest.

"It's a—" He paused, then looked confused. "A piece of _paper_?" He nearly yelled as he reached into the box and grabbed the time-worn sheet.

"Does it say something?" Atoli asked, and after receiving a nod, Haseo started to read it aloud.

"With every passing day, there is a dawn, a day, and dusk." He paused. _A riddle_? He wondered before beginning to read again. "After the dusk of a day, Twilight will soon bring a wake, and day will be restored to its full glory."

Atoli seemed oddly stiff, her eyes glancing around every so often, as if searching for something invisible.

"But even a day must end." He continued, trying to look into the deeper meaning of this riddle. "And thus, does dusk, return once—"

Atoli suddenly gasped loudly, and held out her hand, as if to try to stop Haseo from saying the final word.

"NO!"

"--more." Haseo finished, turning towards Atoli, but she was covering her ears in agony.

"What?" he asked himself, but it was too late. Around them, thousands of familiar, black bubbles filled the room, appearing from the Beast Statue, the walls, and even the floor.

"AIDA!" Zelkova yelled in alarm, looking at the AIDA surrounding them. "Haseo--!"

Haseo already knew. Without a second thought, he pulled his arm to his chest.

"Come on... Come on...." He muttered to himself, the AIDA still multiplying everywhere. "I'm... Right... HERE!—" He yelled. "SKEEEEEEEEEEEITH!"

With a bright purple and black flash, Haseo was floating in the familiar Avatar space, staring down at all of the AIDA. He pulled out Skeith's scythe, ready.

"I'll teach you..." He said slowly, pulling the scythe back and charging one of his beam slashes. "To _never_ mess with this 'World' EVER AGAIN!" He yelled, and released. A large glowing beam flew at the AIDA bubbles, but they just simply moved aside, the attack doing nothing more than flying away until unseen in the distance of the realm.

"_What_?" Zelkova gasped, watching the AIDA move away from where Haseo had been aiming. Though he couldn't see the Avatar, he knew perfectly well that something was wrong... He turned to Atoli, seeing if she was in any condition to fight, but she was holding her ears tight, yelling "Stop it!" to the AIDA; whether that would help or not was not really the case here. Zelkova grit his teeth, before spotting Eon, still next to the treasure chest.

"Hey!" He yelled, though she seemed not to hear him; she only looked at the space that was previously the Lion-like God's face. "You need to get out of here!" Zelkova tried, but still, no response from her. What was going on here?

Haseo swore furiously as he swung his scythe over and over again, only to miss all of the AIDA. Why wasn't it hitting? Where was the main body? Haseo looked down from where he was floating, scanning for any sign of the AIDA body, before spotting Zelkova, trying to move the brat's PC body towards the warp panel, little more then ten steps away from her. She wouldn't budge.

"Zelkova!" Haseo called, catching his attention instantly. "What's wrong with her?" He called down, before aiming the beams on Skeith's back at any AIDA nearby. Once locked on, he shot. Unlike the scythe, it hit every AIDA bubble that it was locked onto, and they popped on contact, but only to reform, two in its place.

Zelkova tried one last, powerful shove, but it was like something possessed the girl. She didn't budge at all.

"She won't move, Haseo!" Zelkova yelled back, quickly ducking as some AIDA lunged to where his head was a fraction of a second ago.

Haseo growled as he glared at the AIDA. How was this even possible? Didn't the Rebirth, which Ovan gave his body for, wipe out all of the AIDA, even if it _did_ call Cubia? He looked around quickly before staring down to Atoli, who finally lifted one hand from her ear, and pointed at the Beast Statue's face, as Eon was starring at.

_It's there?_ Haseo wondered, though gave no time to doubt himself. He charged his scythe once more then released its fury onto the statue.

The Beast Statue shattered, something you didn't get to see everyday as a normal player of The World. The AIDA around them suddenly stopped advancing and multiplying, and started to twitch violently, as if Haseo had just hit a pressure point on them.

"Got them!" He announced triumphantly to himself as Atoli took her hands off of her ears, only to look in horror up to Haseo.

"It's come." She said quietly, as a giant, translucent, purple beast slowly emerged from the depths of the space below the dungeon.

As an AIDA, it had no distinctive face, only a little neck-like thing sticking out of the top of its body. There were two giant claws, supporting itself up on the ground of the dungeon, and two long, sickle-like things sticking out of its sides. From his angle, Haseo could not see any feet, or even legs from the monstrous AIDA, but three long, demonic tails swung randomly from behind it, and two translucent bat wings were plastered onto its back.

Haseo looked at it with horror. He'd fought many forms of AIDA before, but this one was completely different from the rest of them.

"Be------come." It growled, the low voice echoing throughout the dungeon.

_It...spoke?_ Haseo thought, incredulously. That was another distinctive feature about this new species…AIDA didn't speak…_never._

"Be-------come..." It repeated, it's sightless head not looking at Haseo, or even Atoli, a fellow Epitaph User, but to Eon instead, who was staring right at it as well.

Haseo hesitated. What was happening? For one thing, AIDA was _gone_. Why did it come back after the Rebirth? And it _talked_! Sure, when it possessed people, the people had spoken through the influence of it, but never by _itself_. And what about the girl? What did she have to do with this? Become _what_?

The beast suddenly threw its giant wings out, reaching from wall to wall of the room, and began to levitate with them, picking up its arms, and holding them cupped around Eon.

It was quiet, but Haseo heard a "No..." come from the entranced child as the monster let out a huge blast of energy, sending Haseo flying back into a wall hard, forcing him to separate with Skeith. It closed its arms around her, all of the AIDA bubbles around them in the room flying into its arms encasing Eon.

There was a scream of pain before the monster extended its wings farther and closed them around itself, making a bright flash of purple light. The Cyberspace area disappeared; the monster, and girl, were gone.

Haseo barely had time to blink; it all happened so fast. Atoli ran to his side, Zelkova right behind her.

"Are you alright, Haseo?" Zelkova asked as the two of them helped him up.

"Y-yeah..." He muttered, before looking at Atoli's pale face.

"They... They said..." Atoli started, tears streaming from her PC body's eyes. "They said, 'return'...and..." Atoli shut her eyes tight. "'Revenge'..."

Haseo stared at her. This was too much to take in for one day. What happened next did not help with matters either.

A Short Mail alarm came, and Haseo read it aloud for his party-mates to hear.

"Come to Raven. Urgent. Pi."

Rewrite-kinda…trying to edit out all of the bad stuff…my spell check messed up BAD! I'm wondering how it missed so many errors…but it _seems_ a little better now… I'm also re-going-over what happened in the story. ^ ^;; I forgot! (Horrible memory! Whee!)

So, as always, reviews are nice…this is my first time re-uploading a chapter…so I dunno what'll happen! (Thumbs up) So until next time!


	2. Change

I do not own .hack or anything that remotely resembles it; I only have the games. Please do not sue me; _I am exceedingly poor._

* * *

-

**Chapter 2: Change**

-

Haseo made haste back to the Breg Epona server. If by 'urgent' Pi meant AIDA, then that would only lead to even more trouble; not only for himself, but for the entire network as well. Once back at Breg Epona, he immediately opened up the Town Transfer command and the three of them were off to Mac Anu before anyone could say 'Aura'.

"Let's hurry to Mercenary District." He told Atoli, then turned to Zelkova. "I think that—" He started, but Zelkova held his hand up for silence.

"I understand." The hacker shrugged, forcing a smile onto his face. "I'll be in the Net Slum if I'm needed." With a nod of goodbye, Zelkova transferred to the Net Slum: Tartarga, wordlessly.

Haseo turned back to Atoli. With another nod, the two of them left the Cathedral and took the warp point to Mercenary District in silence.

"Do you think that this will be about AIDA?" Atoli asked, though the answer was already obvious. Both of them knew it.

"I dunno, could be." A new voice answered her question, making Atoli jump, startled.

A familiar blue-haired Steam Gunner stood before them, forcing a grin onto his face, though painfully aware of their current situation as an Epitaph User.

"Hey, Haseo! Long time no see!" Kuhn tried to lighten the mood, but Haseo's frown stopped all further attempts.

"Sh-shall we go then?" Atoli asked, and without an answer, entered the Home. Haseo and Kuhn entered after her, looking around the old, level one guild Raven: also known as the G.U. headquarters.

"C'mon," Kuhn started, "Pi will be in the Serpent of Lore." He led them up the stairs past Wise Grunty (which was going on about a large tub of pickles) and into the back room, leading into the ever so familiar Serpent of Lore.

-

"Welcome," Came yet another low, familiar voice. Yata stood in front of multiple screens at the opposite end of the long room, one hand extended over top of a floating bronze sphere as he searched through random areas in The World; no doubt searching for AIDA with three of the ten screens displaying the image of black floating bubbles on them. He didn't even need to turn around to greet them; Yata had that annoying ability of knowing everything that was happening around him, and thus Haseo didn't even bother responding to his 'warm' welcome, and instead, stepped forward to join Atoli and Endrance.

"Alright, that makes six out of eight of the Epitaph Users here," Pi reported from beside Yata, also looking through screens to the right of him. "That only leaves Sakubo to get here." She stated coolly, though her tone about only_seven_ of the Epitaph Users being here stung Haseo like a bee.

That still meant that Ovan hadn't woken up. That his former Guild Master and friend was still the only comatose Lost One that he knew of.

It was little less than two minutes before Saku ran into the Serpent of Lore at full speed.

"Sorry I'm late!" She panted, "Bo couldn't find the controller, so we couldn't log in!" She explained.

Pi merely nodded before facing the other four Epitaphs who were facing herself and Yata.

"I...I'm not sure how I should start this..." Pi began, looking from one Epitaph User to the other sympathetically. "But, as most of you are aware... AIDA has returned..."

-

--------------------------------------Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness--------------------------------------

-

Eon shivered. Why was she so cold all of the sudden? She shivered some more. Did the heater stop? Or maybe someone took her blanket... Her blanket...?

_That's funny..._ She thought slowly. _When did I fall asleep...?_ She wondered, trying to think of what happened. It didn't come though. _Well, I guess that I need to get up then..._ She silently willed herself to get up, but she just felt so drained for some reason.

"C'mon... Get up..." She whispered to herself, almost silently, it was so quiet. Slowly, she twitched her left hand, all of her fingers responding, slowly to not. That was a good sign... No?

_Time to open my eyes... Okay... Open!_ Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened her eyes a crack, only to see nothing more than black.

The shock was there in an instant. "_HOLY AURA!"_ The Brandier cried out, though where she obtained the energy from was a mystery. "I'm _blind!_" She cried, before going over possible reason for this disaster. "I _knew_ too many video games where bad!" She yowled, blinking back the tears, only to notice that the darkness was not complete. Every so often, a cloud of darkness would move and reveal a far but white wall.

"Okay, so I'm not_ blind_... Just in some...some.... Where _am_ I?" She asked herself, forcing herself to stand even though every bone in her body ached for some reason. Eon took a quick look around. Everything looked the same; a murky black cloud surrounding everything, but a circular white room surrounded her from what it appeared it looked like by the tiny movements of the clouds. It was then that she noticed that it was _not_ a cloud that she was looking at. Surrounding her, and the rest of the room, where tiny black bubbles, so close together that they looked like a cloud. Eon instinctively flinched. She did not know where she was, nor how she got there. What was going on?

-

----------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore-----------------------------------

-

Saku gasped loudly. "Wh-what?!" She demanded. "I thought AIDA was _gone_!"

"It was." Pi replied calmly, though inwardly she wished that AIDA had _remained_ gone. "But it came back. I think that Haseo and Atoli can tell you all about their encounter with it." She put in.

Atoli fidgeted nervously when five pairs of eyes, including Yata's, were turned to look at herself and Haseo.

"Y-yes... We saw them..." She mumbled, her last few words almost inaudible.

"We didn't just see AIDA." Haseo corrected, staring all of the Epitaph Users down as they did him, "we heard it as well."

-

------------------------------ Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness--------------------------------

-

"Hello?" Eon called out.

_Hello! Hello! Hellooooo...._ Her echo came back.

She shivered. "Creepy..." She muttered as she began to walk. As she looked around at all of the bubbles, she slowly began to remember what happened to the point of which she was there now. She was in an area, then some PKer's came...then the guy with the weird PC killed them...and then the bubbles...and the monster...

She stopped walking.

The monster? Did that mean that she was still in 'The World'? If so, Logging Out would take her out of this place, right?

Eon tried to open up the Main Menu, which was when she figured out something was horribly wrong.

"Where is it?!" She demanded, quickly looking at the bubbles around her frantically. "Th-the Main Menu! The controller...!" Eon looked down at her hands then moved her fingers. All ten of them responded, no controlled, just by her thoughts alone. "Where _am_ I?!"

-

----------------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore---------------------------------------

-

"You _heard_ AIDA?" Kuhn questioned, wondering if he'd heard right. With a nod from Haseo, he pet the back of his head, unsure of what to make of it.

"You mean that _Atoli_ heard it." Saku tried to correct, knowing that Atoli had the ability to hear strange noises that no others seemed to notice, but the shakes of both Atoli and Haseo's heads told her otherwise.

"I did hear the AIDA at first," Atoli explained, "but it actually _spoke_ out."

"Yeah," Haseo agreed before turning to Yata. "Can't you see it with the Serpent of Lore?"

Pi and Yata glanced at each other before shaking their heads.

"I only just came here," Pi started, "I was going to quit CC Corp. today, but the sudden reappearance of AIDA, reported by Kuhn little more than an hour ago, made me stay." She explained, looking a little tired, even for a Player body. "We, Yata and I, were just able to catch a glimpse of the AIDA in the area that you and Atoli explored today until we lost all contact with you, _and_ the area itself."

"Even the Serpent of Lore was not able to see what happened in there." Yata continued, "We even sent Kuhn to try to enter the area, but it was cut off from all the rest of The World. It was no doubt an AIDA Server at the time."

"I see..." Haseo muttered, looking down before it hit him. "What about the girl?!" He asked seriously.

"Do you mean the character known as 'Eon'?" Pi asked.

"Y-yes! What happened to her?!" Atoli asked, concerned.

Pi looked to Yata before giving the news.

"We don't know."

-

--------------------------------------Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness---------------------------------

-

"Okay," Eon told herself, arms tight to her sides as she strode in a small circle. "I just need to remain calm... Yes, calm.... Not scared, not at all..." She muttered to herself, attempting to breathe lightly and to think of it all like a B-rated horror film.

It wasn't working.

_Maybe if I run in a straight line, really fast, I'll find a way out._ She forced herself to think, and with a burst of speed, charged forward.

It surprised Eon how fast she was going, especially since she couldn't tell if she was in the real world or not. Sure, her body was the black-haired Blade Brandier Eon... Yet she _felt_ the bubbles around her touch her skin and bounce off lightly, and even the breeze of running. Maybe a really creepy dream?

_WHAM_!

Eon had slammed face first into the white wall, bordering the black mist of bubbles.

_No... Definitely NOT a dream..._ She thought as she fell down onto her back, holding what she hoped was not a broken nose.

-

------------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore-----------------------------

-

"You don't _know_?" Kuhn demanded before Haseo or Atoli could say a word. He stood up straight and grit his teeth, holding his arms out in front of himself angrily. "Players don't just _disappear_ Pi, Yata! She has to be _somewhere_!"

"We understand that, Kuhn!" Pi snapped as she typed something in front of herself on seemingly thin air, but a screen appeared before all of them. "This is the area that Haseo, Atoli and Zelkova were in before the AIDA appeared." Pi explained as a mini map of the area appeared on the monitor, a red circle drawing itself around it. "We believe," she continued, "that the girl was transferred somewhere, via Gate Hacking, preformed by the AIDA."

"So you're saying that to get her back, then all we need to do is Gate Hack in that area?" Kuhn questioned as a thin line appeared on the screen and connected to another area, most likely an Outer Dungeon.

"We _believe_ so." Pi corrected. "Master Yata and I cannot be too sure at the moment, especially with the lack of information we are currently facing."

"Understood." Kuhn answered quickly, turning to Haseo, "So are you up for one more adventure today, Haseo?" He asked the Adept Rogue.

Haseo contemplated this for a moment, before suspicion sunk in, but he would leave that to the field.

"All right." He answered simply. "I'll go to Sigma Returning Disappointment End of Dreams with you."

"All right, Haseo!" Kuhn cheered, a little too enthusiastically for such a time, and turned to Atoli. "Will you be the final party member or maybe Saku-"

"Actually," Kuhn was cut off, "I will be accompanying you and Haseo to Sigma Returning Disappointment End of Dreams." Yata said, flicking his fan open slowly, then shutting it in the blink of an eye. "I would like to investigate this _new_ AIDA personally."

"All right," Haseo answered before Kuhn could object, "let's get to the Breg Epona server and head out."

Yata made an acknowledging grunt and headed out of the Serpent of Lore, Kuhn slightly behind him, looking down hearted.

-

------------------------------------------ Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness-----------------------------------

-

"Ha!" Eon laughed to herself, standing tall and proud with her hands on her hips. "I'm not afraid of these confines!" She announced, laughing in the face of her peril.

"Not afraid at all...!"

"No... Still... Fine..."

Within fifty seconds of her first announcement, Eon was on the floor in the feudal position, sucking her thumb and rocking back and forth slowly.

"The walls...they're moving in, aren't they?!" She demanded, looking around frantically.

With a small rumble around her, and a slight but still noticeable dragging noise, Eon turned only to see that the walls were in fact, moving in.

She sat there, dumbfounded for a moment, before screaming, "I _HATE_ IT WHEN I'M RIGHT!" and retreated into the depths of the bubble-fog.

-

-------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: Chaos Gate------------------------

-

Haseo looked over his shoulder to check if Kuhn and Yata were ready for the transfer. Seeing both of them behind him, Yata looking ahead in thought, and Kuhn leaning to the ground in a similar fashion to Negimaru of Kestrel in silent mourning, he considered himself and his party ready to enter the Dual City of Breg Epona. With a bright blue flash of spiralling light, the three of them transferred into Breg Epona.

Haseo blinked to let his eyes adjust to the difference of the dark Cathedral, to the bright outsides of Breg Epona.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Affirmative." Yata stated formally.

"Sure..." Kuhn muttered, still sulking over the fact that he missed a chance to join a party with at least _one_ girl in it.

"Then let's go." Haseo barked before opening up the Chaos Gate's warp record and then transferring himself and the other two with him to Sigma Returning Disappointment End of Dreams.

-

--------------------------- Sigma: Returning Disappointment End of Dreams----------------------

-

Yata was the first to speak when they arrived at the dungeon.

"Let's get to the Beast Statue quickly; this area is blocked off to normal players, the sooner we finish, the sooner CC Corp. can clean up this area from its former AIDA invasion."

"All right," Haseo said before rounding on Kuhn. "Stop sulking, will you?!" He yelled, snapping Kuhn up into a standing position. "The sooner we finish this, the sooner you can go and use that 'illness' of yours!" He growled crankily and started though the mouth of the dungeon, Yata behind him.

"Well, that's not a very nice way to put it, Haseo..." Kuhn muttered, a little hurt, before jogging to catch up with the Adept Rogue and Macabre Dancer.

-

----------------------------------- Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness-------------------------------

-

"NO! Stop moving, darn it!" Eon yowled as the walls continued to close in around her. "I said _stop_!"

No reaction from the walls, other than continual movement, rather than what she asked for.

Eon was growing tired of moving so much. In the real world, she wasn't able to go outside to get actual exercise like this.

"All right mister wall," she finally growled, too tired to keep up the pace. "I'll teach_ you _to try to squish me!" And with a mighty swing of her trusted, level one sword, she swung at the wall hard, and with a clang of metal on something similar to brick, the wall stopped advancing.

"_YES!_" She cheered, pulling her sword back and sheathing it behind her, where it soon disappearing into nothingness. She turned her back to the wall, and pulled her arms up behind her head calmly. "See, not even a wall can beat me!" She told herself, grinning inwardly.

_CLUNK!_

"Huh...?" Eon turned around. Her arms dropped instantly as she saw the wall begin to move again, and not only that, at twice the speed as before!

-

---------------------------------Sigma: Returning Disappointment End of Dreams-----------------------------

-

"Alright, there should be a disturbance around here, where we will be able to Gate Hack." Yata explained, initiating the search at once.

"Over here!" Kuhn called, little more then a minute later, standing to the left of the Gott Statue. "The sound's over here, Haseo!" He announced triumphantly as Haseo moved from his current position to beside Kuhn's. Instantly, he heard and saw the ripples in the screen, proving the disturbance still remained in the area.

Haseo clicked 'R1' on his controller in the real world, and with a sound similar to a high pitched radar, a spiralling portal appeared a few feet next to them.

"Let's go." Yata commanded as he disappeared into the abyss of the portal, his last words almost inaudible over the sound of his warp. Kuhn followed after him next, and finally Haseo went last, though not before taking one last look around the room. The Gott Statue was in shambles, pieces of it were surprisingly lying around the ground by his feet. Some of the floor, walls, and even ceiling were eroded; no doubt from all of the AIDA that appeared, and the normal shimmering of the ceiling had stopped.  
Was this area really just like any other?

Haseo stepped though the portal, and a horrible, familiar spinning motion filled his gut as he watched the spiralling from his screen, before appearing several feet from Yata and Kuhn.

"C'mon, Haseo," Kuhn started, though not bothering to look at him, "She must be up that way."

"Just one minute Kuhn." Haseo said, making the Steam Gunner stop in his tracks. "Why was it that you chose to come here? You didn't even know her. Wouldn't Atoli, Yata and I be a better choice for this mission?" Haseo questioned as Kuhn looked over his shoulder slightly from the accusation, "If so, then why did you choose to come?"

Even though he knew the answer the whole time, he couldn't help but ask.

"Well, isn't it obvious, Haseo?" Kuhn asked back as he turned to face Haseo, only to look up dramatically. "Because she, Haseo, is a damsel in distress, and it is my duty an Epitaph User, no, as a _man _to save her—"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, wonder boy..." Haseo muttered dryly, pushing past Kuhn to the nearest path to the next section.

"What? But I didn't finish!" Kuhn tried, but his two party mates had already past him, and were battling a swarm of Big Born Gamma's...without him...again...

-

------------------------------- Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness--------------------------------

-

"Bad—Wall---Bad----Wall..." Eon huffed and puffed. She was completely out of breath, and what's worse, she was running out of places to run... The room was a complete circle, as she unfortunately found out when she attempted to outrun the enclosing walls, looking for some way of escape.

"Well—Is this—It...?" She asked herself quietly as she could see the entire wall closing in around her, the mist of bubbles no longer cloaking it.

Twenty feet away... Fifteen feet... Ten...

Eon shut her eyes tight as she silently promised herself, that if she ever got out of this alive, she would _never_ think her room was small again.

Seven feet and closing in. Eon could now hear the rumbling louder that ever.

Five...Four...Three...Two...!

"_HALT!_" A loud, deep voice echoed across the room, its order making the walls stop at once, before they retreated back to their original positions slowly.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Eon uncovered her head with her arms, and opened up an eye, just a crack. Before her stood, or to be more précised, _floated_ a large, translucent purple monster; The same one of which she had met in the dungeon, and had brought her to this place.

-

---------------------------------------------Outer Dungeon--------------------------------------------

-

"All right! We've got to be getting close by now!" Kuhn exclaimed as if nothing had gone wrong in their time within that particular Outer Dungeon. The truth was, though, that anything and everything that _could_ possibly go wrong did and, by then, Haseo presumed _would_ go wrong. Not only had they needed to _fight_ their way through all of the Bug-Data-monsters since as it turned out, not a single one of them had a smokescreen on them, but there were even a brand _new_ type of Bug Data called Bug _KING_ Gamma! This monster was stronger than a Bug Born _and_ a Bug Queen combined, able to _shoot_ its limbs off at the party all the way across the field, and had an extremely high defence and Health Points as well! _This_ forced Haseo to waste almost all of his healing items, which included:

43 Health Serums (Heals 200 HP)  
15 Healing Potions (Heals 350 HP)  
27 Sprite Drops (Heals 50 SP)  
32 Fairy's Drops (Heals 100 SP)  
AND use the Pure Medallion (Heals the party's HP by 350) a few times!

Not to mention that he also had a 'Boost Candle' equipped, which _doubled_ all item's effects.  
Kuhn was beginning to drive him insane with his constant practicing of the speech that he would give to the girl, _if_ they found her, and Yata wasn't helping matters by continuously saying, "We must hurry," After _he_ had _just_ finished healing _him_ from critical health. To top it all off, they we lost horribly at a point with ten possible warp points to choose from, and every time that they chose the wrong one, were forced into a floating platform with a party of _two_ Bug King's, and one Bug Queen Gamma.

Kuhn was racing towards one of the _two_ remaining warp panels, (which meant that the three of them had just fought _sixteen_ Bug Kings, not to mention the three that they met on the way to the area…) and looked from that warp panel, to the one ten paces before it.

"Which one do you want to take?" Kuhn inquired.

"The right one." Haseo stated grumpily.

"Al_right_, so the one to the right it is!" Kuhn announced before racing towards it instead, obviously misreading what Haseo had meant when he said '_right'_.

Yata followed him calmly, his arms crossed in his normal, 'high ranking' way, still thinking hard about something. Haseo made a small grunt, wishing that he _had_ chosen Atoli for once. At least _she_ wouldn't go on about—

"It must have been fate that brought us here…" Kuhn practised.

That…

-

----------------------------------------- Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness-------------------------------------

-

"Welcome." The monster's voice boomed around the room.

"Uh... Sure...?" Eon asked timidly, shrinking away from it the best she could. The monster was _easily_ fifty times bigger that her, and loomed over her, as if it was ready to devour her.

The monster paused before speaking again, apparently seeing if Eon was going to ask any questions. She didn't.

"This is the---Lost Ground." It explained, though Eon could do without the dramatic pause. "We have been...waiting for you..."

She flinched a tad as it said that. Waiting for _her_? Just who or _what_ were these things? Why were they waiting for her? How did they even _know_ her? And how _many_ were there?! _WE?!_

"Now..." Its voice booming again, "Become one, Judgement!" It yelled, holding its huge, clawed arms out and around Eon.

She stepped back as the ground around her started to shake violently, and large hexagons from the white floor flew up into the air, revealing a strange, blue-black ground below, some orange way off into the horizon.

The bubbles around the entire room started to shake as if in spasms, and suddenly shot towards the monster, combining to the outside of its body, forming strange shapes onto it.

New weapons...

-

--------------------------------------Outer Dungeon: Last Area---------------------------------------

-

To his amazement, the 'right' warp panel had, in fact, been the right one after all! Thank _Aura_ for dumb luck…

Yata stepped towards the red warp panel in the middle of the platform.

"This must lead to the Lost Ground." He explained. "Are you ready, Haseo?" He asked, ignoring Kuhn entirely to the Steam Gunner's dismay.

"Yeah, let's go." The Adept Rogue answered, and stepped up to the portal and warped, Yata after him.

"What about me...?" Kuhn asked, displeased and hurt with being ignored, before warping after the two of them.

-

----------------------------------- Sigma: Hidden Forbidden The Darkness-----------------------------------

-

It took less than a second for Haseo to recognise the AIDA monster before him, even with all of the new, strange features on it. On its head were now two long antennas, similar to an AIDA Anna, and on its back, a long, pointed fin, like a shark version of an AIDA Helen. The sickles on its stomach duplicated from two to four, and were sharper _and_ larger than before. Had this..._thing_ absorbed other ADIA to further itself?!

"Haseo!" Kuhn yelled, pointing just under the huge AIDA beast, where Eon stared up at it, horrified. "We need to save her!"

"I know!" He yelled back. Even though he and Kuhn were only a little more than three paces away, he had trouble hearing him over the loud rumble of the floor as more tiles flew up to reveal the familiar Cyberspace that he'd fought in so many times before.

-

Eon stepped away from the AIDA monster, but another rumble, more violent than before, caused her to lose her balance and fall onto her hands and knees. She grunted lightly in pain before the floor beneath her suddenly flipped up and span, sending her off of it quickly, and plummeting below, into the abyss of the Cyberspace.

-

"MAGUS!" Kuhn yelled, holding his arm out in front of himself as yellow symbols appeared all over his face, shoulders, legs, and torso. There was a light tuning sound as the Steam Gunner's Avatar appeared in its full green glory.

Magus flung itself after her, as fast as it could, but the large, purple claw of the AIDA stopped him from going any further.

"BECOME!" It yelled as the three of them watched in horror as it shot two of its large sickles down at Eon, who was still falling, unable to protect herself.

-

Eon's eyes widened as she saw the attacks coming at her. The sickles themselves her still about four times larger than herself, not to mention _two_ of them!

"No....no..." She muttered quietly, tears slowly dripping from her eyes, and flying upwards from her momentum. The AIDA sickles raced towards her, only to suddenly split into thousands of black bubbles and cross each path in an 'X' shape, before slamming into her stomach and chest, the pain unbelievable before her body disappeared in flashes of light blue light, little balls of her data slowly streaming upwards.

-

"NOOOOOO!" Kuhn yelled, before turning to the monster which removed its claw from his way. "You Bastard!" He screamed, and shot towards it, hitting it in the neck and forcing it to topple over backwards onto the remaining white tiles and crushing them.

Yata narrowed his eyes in thought. "Interesting..." He muttered.

Haseo turned to him, confused. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Yata was silent for a moment, and watched Kuhn hit the monster with a three-hit combo using Magus' claws and tail. The monster did not defend itself.

"It's blind." Yata stated simply, making Haseo stare at him, dumbstruck.

"_Blind_?!" He asked, "You mean to say, that this AIDA can't _see_ what's going on?!"

Yata nodded.

"It has not defended itself once since the girl vanished. It must have been acting on impulse; like an animal, or bug."

Kuhn slammed Magus into the AIDA-monster's stomach. Even though it let out a furious howl of pain, it still seemed like he was doing no damage to it though. _What is up with this thing?! It still hasn't had a protection break after all this time!_ He easily dodged its claw as it tried to swat him like a fly. Was it really blind, like Yata just said?

"But..._how_?" Haseo asked, but Yata only shook his head.

"There are things in this 'World' that we cannot hope to understand. The Lost Ground, the AIDA's return, and a blind AIDA may all be one of them."

Haseo grunted angrily. If that was so, then why did it even attack her in the first place?

-

----------------------------Unknown: Realm of the God's------------------------------

-

Eon clenched her teeth in pain. Her stomach and chest were in so much pain that it was hard to bare. Was she even alive now? She couldn't help but wonder, but couldn't manage to open her eyes, not with _this_ much pain…

"Be still, little Child of the God's." A soft voice came, surprising Eon.

_Who...?_ She wondered, attempting to open her eyes, if not just one, but the pain stopped her from doing so yet again.

"I will release you from your pain." The voice came again, as Eon felt a cool feeling brush over her body. The pain from the attack suddenly ceased, as if it was never there to begin with.

Relief brushed over Eon like cloud of happiness. The pain was gone, thanks to whoever the voice belonged to. Now to see who it was...

Eon slowly opened her eyes. Everything seemed dark again at first, and blurry. The only thing that she could make out was something white, looming over top of her, though, for some reason, she wasn't afraid.

"Do not be afraid, little Child of the God's." Said the voice belonging to a girl... In white...?

_Why would I be afraid...?_ Eon wondered, her eyes now quickly adjusting to the darkness of the room. She blinked a few more times before she could see the girl clearly. Her clothes, similar to a long dress which covered her whole body, were completely white and held up by the symbol of Infinity, which was also white with a slight bluish tinge. Her hair was just as white as her dress and went down her back, her eyes blue like the sky, and her face, pale, as well as her hands, which were extended over Eon slightly. Eon looked around a little more at her surroundings. The room was pitch black, minus the small pool of water that she and the girl were hovering over, which was continuously rippling at a calming rate, though nothing was touching it. It was then, that she was looking down, that she noticed what had happened to her body. There were chunks missing from it where it flashed and rippled, like tracking snow on her old T.V.. Her stomach and chest were almost not even there anymore, and she was missing her right arm completely.

Eon's breathing quickened. How come this was all happening? Was this really The World, or the real world? She _felt_ the pain of the monster's attack, and the coolness of the room that she was now in. She _knew_ that the girl in front of herself was there too!

"Please, be calm, little Child of the God's." The girl repeated, and Eon attempted to take smaller breaths, though it didn't help by much.

"Who...are you...?" Eon asked timidly.

"I am the one that the residents of this World call Aura." She stated simply.

Eon nearly choked from shock. _AURA?!_ The Super AI that people were always talking about on the Forums?! Why was she here, now?!

"Why--?" Eon started, but was cut off by Aura.

"Now is your time to choose, little Child of the God's." Aura said, her blue eyes fixed on the remains of Eon's PC body's face. "Will you choose a difficult path, and continue to walk the roads in this 'World'?" She continued, "or take the easy path, and forsaken this 'World', once and for all?"

_What...?_ Eon thought. _What's she talking about? A difficult path, or an easy one...? This doesn't make any sense! And what about the 'Child of the God's' part?!_

"What will you choose, little Child of the God's?" Aura repeated, her gaze now fixed on something in the distance. Eon narrowed her eyes in thought, before turning her head towards the direction that Aura was looking.

It was faint, but she could make out the purple outlines of the monster that attacked her earlier, and another large, green monster, which was apparently fighting back.

"Do you see it, little Child of the God's?" Aura asked, though without waiting for Eon's reply, continued. "You have a gift, buried deep within yourself, a gift that only lives within this 'World'; a gift that only you, and few others, possess. If you choose to walk the path of strife, then I shall awaken it for you, little Child of the God's."

Eon watched the green monster ram into the shoulder of the AIDA beast, her eyes glazed over in thought. _To choose the hard path, and have a gift...? Or to leave this place for good?_ The very idea of leaving this 'World' at all seemed foolish. It was the only thing that she _had_! But to take a hard path? What did Aura mean by it? Eon shut her eyes tight, before turning her head to stare back up to Aura.

"I...I will stay...!" She answered with as much strength that she could muster, but inside, she was afraid. Afraid of what this'hard path' truly was. She'd heard of all of the troubles that the '.hackers' had went through in the past; would it be like them...?

Aura nodded lightly and extended her arms fully over Eon's partly destroyed PC body. She started to chant something that Eon did not understand...maybe German...as she slowly floated upwards, until twenty feet above her. Suddenly, Aura's chanting stopped, and Eon's PC body rose, as if standing by itself. There was a flash of blue-green light around her, and a wire frame sphere appeared around herself. Eon shut her eyes as she saw the feet of her PC body start to glow, the shine moving up to her knees. As the light started to advance though, a white powder-like substance flew off of her, shimmering as it collected around Aura, leaving a completely new design in its place. The light moved upwards to her torso, and Eon couldn't help but peek at wheat was happening to her. What used to be light blue Blade Brandier clothes had completely reformed to some type of white pants with a red spiral starting from the sides down the legs; something that Eon _knew_ was not part of 'The World's' design. She shut her eyes again as the light reached her neck, and crawled up her cheeks, and finally to the rest of her head as well.

"Be awakened, little Child of the God's—" Aura said, but her voice seeming distant now.

"Wait..." Eon muttered, but there was a bright flash as the shine from around her body had disappeared completely, the wire frame sphere with it. She had to shut her eyes with the difference of the colours, and suddenly felt a pulling motion as she was flung back into the area of Sigma Hidden Forbidden The Darkness.

-

-------------------------------------Sigma Hidden Forbidden The Darkness----------------------------------------

-

"Give her _back_ you bastard!" Kuhn yelled again as Magus attacked one final time, before AIDA beast opened its wings and flapped them so hard, that it sent Kuhn flying into one of the few remaining tiles, where he separated from Magus, exhausted.

"Kuhn!" Haseo yelled as he rushed over to the Steam Gunner's side. "Are you alright?!"

Kuhn panted heavily before looking up to Haseo. "That thing has no weak points! Even after _all_ of that, there was no Protection Break!"

"I know," Haseo growled as he helped Kuhn up, allowing him to lean on his shoulder for support. "We just need to find another way..." He muttered, though cursing inwardly at the AIDA.

The AIDA roared angrily as it extended its claws and slashed at the ground randomly.

"BECOME!" It screamed as it swung its head wildly, until it suddenly stopped, only to turn its sightless gaze to a portal appearing twenty paces from Haseo and Kuhn's current position.

-

Eon flew out of the portal, her stomach feeling queasy from all of the spinning that she felt from within it. It took a few steps for her to regain her balance, then she shook her head to lose the rest of the dizziness. She looked up to the AIDA monster before her and blinked. It seemed that the green monster was gone... But where? She wondered.

The AIDA growled viciously, its claws now shattering any tile that they touched.

"_BECOME!_" It screamed violently, and lunged at the girl.

Eon grit her teeth together hard and stepped back on instinct, but had nowhere to go. The tile that she was on now was the only tile nearby, the next closest being the one that Haseo and Kuhn were on, twenty feet away. _Great... Lucky me..._ She thought sarcastically as she waited for her impending doom.

Haseo swore as he let Kuhn go and began to summon Skeith.

"Come on! COME ON!" He yelled, Kuhn on his knees beside him, unable to stand. "I'M RIGHT HERE!"

"SKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIITH!"

With a tuning sound, the red symbols surrounding Haseo's body turned into a bright red flash as he summoned the Scythe-wielding Avatar. Haseo quickly floated up above the tile that Kuhn was on and charged his shots onto the AIDA beast. They all hit it simultaneously, and the AIDA stopped dead, slowly turning, what Haseo presumed was its head, towards him.

"Destroy..." It gurgled, holding a claw up above its head. "_DESTROY DEATH!"_

Haseo barely had time to dodge as it came down at him faster than he had expected. Was this thing getting faster?! And not only that... But smarter too?!

-

Luckily for Eon, the momentum of the shots that the 'Terror of Death' shot caused just enough force to move the tile that she was on to the walkway of tiles that Haseo just used to get to Kuhn earlier. She jumped across the gap, happy that she didn't begin to plummet twice in one day, and raced over to the blue-haired companion that 'Death' had with him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, the Steam Gunner looking up at her confused for a moment, before giving her a surprised look.

"Are you--?!" He tried, but Yata cut him off.

"The Player 'Eon'?" He asked.

Eon hesitated before nodding at him, noticing Kuhn stare at her wide eyed.

"You PC body... _Changed_!" He exclaimed.

"Well uh..." Eon muttered, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. _How much did my PC body actually change_, she wondered, before noticing a strange knot in the hair. She tried to pull it, but felt a sudden pain, pain that _did not_ come from hair. She reached up and tugged onto what she felt earlier, only to find that there were two of them, and they weren't hair, but in fact, _ears_. Dog ears to be exact. Her mouth dropped open as she tried to grasp at what just happened here. She turned her head around, only to see that her hair wasn't black, but _silver_ instead. More dumbfoundedness. She looked down at her new red vest with blue trimming, and the tank-top-like shirt under it, a light blue matching the trimming. One arm was completely ripped off by the looks of it, the other only attached from below the shoulder with two intersecting white belts. She turned to notice a silver tail to go with the ears, and even a nifty pair of silver wings as well. What had Aura _done_?!

"M-m-my..." She murmured, unable to think of what had just happened. Her character had been _completely_ reformatted. She didn't even have a _weapon_ by the looks of it!

"It would appear that you were reformatted within this time..." Yata stated calmly; it took all of Eon's willpower to not trot up to him and start to throttle him for answers.

"Y-yeah..." Kuhn muttered as he forced himself up to his feet. "W-well then... Nice to meet you, Eon!" He said quite cheerfully considering all of their situations right now, and held a hand out to shake.

"Is this _really_ the time?!" Eon asked as Skeith flew by, narrowly dodging the beast's attack, nonetheless their tile.

"I-I guess not..." Kuhn muttered sheepishly, withdrawing his hand at once and looking up to the two of the fighters.

"Hey... What _is_ that thing anyways...?" Eon asked as Skeith passed again, this time attempting a counter attack.

Yata and Kuhn both turned to her, Kuhn looking wide-eyed, and Yata thoughtful.

"You mean to say that you can _see_ him...?" Yata asked carefully. "_What_ exactly to you see?"

Eon's ears flattened angrily. What was up with that baldy anyway?!

"Whaddya _mean_ what do I _see_?!" She demanded, Kuhn flinching a little with the strength within her words, considering whatever she'd just been through that day. "The white monster with the scythe of course! And…that purple thing too!"

Kuhn stared at Eon, his eyes nearly wide enough to pop out.

"If you can see Skeith... Does that mean that you're a..." He started, but Yata finished for him.

"An Epitaph User."

-

* * *

-

How was that edit? Less coma splicing and a few errors fixed, plus I was able to go over it and remember what DID happen all this time ago, so hopefully Chapter 14 will be up all the sooner... Sorry for the delay, I've been so busy...

Reviews are welcome, as always, and good day until Chapter 3 is redone! Later!


	3. Shadows

All right, disclaimer; .hack characters don't belong to me, only Eon. Axel and Hikaru belong to Miffin, but she let me use them for this story…and most of the other ones that I have or will write…

AIDA itself does not belong to me, but the new forms are my creation.

Ice cream is good and enjoy this chapter!

* * *

-  
**Chapter 3: Shadows  
****-

* * *

**

Kuhn gaped from Yata, to Eon, and back.

"But..._How?_" He demanded.

Yata merely crossed his arms again, turning his gaze back up to Skeith who was currently shooting long circular beams from its scythe at the monster.

"There are too many things that we cannot be sure of right now," he explained, still watching the white Avatar. "The revival of the AIDA may have created brand new type of Epitaph User in its wake."

Eon stared from Kuhn to Yata in confusion. What were they talking about? Epitaphs? Was that what that monster was? An 'Epitaph'? She shifted uncomfortably as the Steam Gunner looked at her yet again, apparently trying to say something, but the words didn't come. Thus he only stood there, gibbering nonsense.

Haseo was panting. Even with all of the Avatar fights that he had participated in prior to now, this one was starting to ware him down. Every time moved too close to the AIDA, it would _hear_ him, rather than see him, and flap its wings to send him back another hundred yards. He swore. What was up with this AIDA? No matter how many times he shot it, no matter how many times he dodged, or even used his _scythe_, it would never become paralyzed for a decent combo, and what's worse, it _was_ becoming stronger by every blow, and even learned a new word!

"_KILL_!" The AIDA screeched as it actually _lunged_ towards Skeith this time, both claws attempting to bore holes into him.

Haseo just narrowly dodged the first claw, but to his surprise, the AIDA whipped around like an AIDA Helen and waved its claws at him, hitting him as well as sending Skeith flying to the opposite side of the Cyberspace, heavily damaged.

"DAMN IT!" He howled as Skeith lazily floated a little higher. He'd taken just about as much damage as Skeith could take...

Yata narrowed his eyes, noticing the amount of damage that Skeith had taken. If this kept up, Haseo would split with Skeith, or worse, end up as a Lost One under the influence of this monster. He heard Kuhn swear behind him but did not turn his gaze. As much as he _wanted_ to help Haseo, Yata knew that Fidchell, his own Avatar, could not possibly hope to last against this AIDA, not to mention his lack of experience compared to Haseo or even Kuhn. It was then that Yata noticed the girl standing beside him, also gazing in the general direction of the combat, though her eyes were glazed in deep thought. Did she really _see_ Skeith? He couldn't help but wonder. Only Epitaphs were supposed to be able to see Avatars, and other than Ovan, who was currently in a coma in the real world, all of the other Epitaph Users had been found. Had she _stolen_ the Rebirth's Epitaph? Was that even possible...? So many things to wonder about, but Yata brushed it off; for the moment at least. Now was not the time to think of such things; they needed to help Haseo and fast.

"Is there a way...?" Eon started, surprising Yata with her sudden words.

"A way to what?" He questioned back sharply without looking down to her.

Eon's ears flattened angrily yet again, "To help of course! Do you _really_ want him to end up like his name?" She asked, slowly looking up to the Macabre Dancer, hopefully. As much as she _hated_ to say it, she owed Haseo for helping her out in that dungeon, however long ago that was.

Yata's glasses flashed thoughtfully as he turned his head the opposite direction from the dog-girl. "There may be ways..." He started, searching for the proper words, "but, I do not believe that we ourselves can do anything at a time like this. Even _if_ we were to summon our Avatar's as well, that might only cause Skeith to go berserk in his state—" Yata cut himself off instantly as he noticed what he had just said. He, Yata, the leader of G.U., had just leaked information that only those that are _indeed_ Epitaph Users may have.

Eon was silent for a matter of seconds, turning her gaze back to the fight.

"So that is what his name is... Skeith..." She muttered, mostly to herself. That was when Yata noticed that it was not the _fight_ that Eon was watching, but instead, the red-eyed Avatar, Skeith. Her eyes matched all of his movements; left, right, up... There was no longer any doubt. For some reason this _girl_ could see the Avatars...

Haseo felt sick and dizzy. He was now forced to use more confusing evasive methods to dodge the blind AIDA; this included spinning in his dodges and cutting it close whenever it charged at him.

_I can't go much longer..._ He noted, grinding his teeth together as he spun one more time, this time narrowly dodging a tail of the AIDA beast. _I've taken too much damage..._

Another lunge from the beast and Haseo barely dodged to the left, but the after shock of the attack sent him flying towards Yata and Kuhn's tile, which he just narrowly stopped himself in time from colliding with.

Breathing heavily, he looked over his shoulder to his companions, as well as the girl that he saved earlier.

"It's—too strong—" He panted as Yata uncrossed his arms, eyes hidden under the shining glare of his orange glasses.

The AIDA turned around to face Skeith again, its 'head' swinging around as it tried to find his location.

"Haseo, we'll need to force our way out of this server!" Yata suddenly called up to the Adept Rogue, catching him off guard.

"_What_?" Both Haseo and Kuhn demanded simultaneously.

"Yata, we _can't_ leave that thing here, _loose_ in The World!" Kuhn explained, "it's too dangerous, not only for the players, but what if it _continues _to grow?"

"Do you think that I do not understand that?" Yata yelled furiously, wheeling around on Kuhn and looking at him from above the rims of his glasses. "But what good will we be if we all end up as Lost Ones here?" He demanded.

"I..." Kuhn muttered, but couldn't come up with anything to counter Yata's argument.

"Kuhn's right!" Haseo agreed from above. "This _thing_ is getting smarter by the minute! If we leave it like this, here and now, we _won't _be able to finish it off later!" He explained, watching the AIDA move its head around some more, still trying to locate him.

Inwardly, Yata swore every swear he knew. How could he be so _hard headed_? Did Haseo _not_ think that he didn't notice this fact? It was the best solution for time like this; sometimes it was better to run, especially when so many things were on the line.

The AIDA monster's head suddenly flung to the direction of Skeith, sensing his presence, and charged at him at full speed. Haseo swore as he watched the AIDA fly at him, at least twice as fast as he was earlier with its claws extended, ready to impale him.

"HASEO!" Yata yelled as the AIDA moved in, too fast for the white Adept Rogue to dodge. Yata closed his eyes, unable to watch before hearing a light voice at his side.

"Scorpio..." Eon muttered quietly, her eyes glazed over, as if in a trans. "Your name...is Scorpio..."

As if she had just said a password of some sort, the AIDA monster stopped instantly, claws extended around Skeith, but not touching him.

Yata slowly looked up at the beast in astonishment. What had this girl just done? She had just paralyzed this AIDA, something that both Haseo _and_ Kuhn could not do themselves; with only with a _word_ no less?

"You look...like a scorpion...Scorpio..." Eon explained, still staring up at the AIDA, her golden eyes completely glazed.

"Haseo!" Kuhn yelled, "Do it!"

The Adept Rogue didn't need to be told twice. He pulled Skeith's scythe up high over his head, and shot a spiralling beam at it. The AIDA didn't even defend. It _couldn't_ defend! Somehow, this kid had managed to paralyze it for him...though how, Haseo still didn't know, nor did it matter right now. All that mattered was that he would take this chance, as if his last, to damage this beast!

With another powerful sweep, Haseo brought the scythe down, and diagonally twice, shooting three spinning blue-yellow beams at the AIDA beast-Scorpio. Scorpio roared in agony as it began to move again, and shot a tail towards Haseo, intending to skewer him.

"Stop...Scorpio..." Eon whispered, her voice distant.

Yet again, the AIDA stopped moving, paralyzed. Haseo took this second chance and dashed towards the beast's torso, slashing as hard as he could. It roared in agony as Haseo hit the floating, black core located just above its stomach. Scorpio flapped the purple wings down hard and raised itself, attempting to retreat from the Terror of Death, but Haseo gave it no chance and pursued.

"You're finished!" He yelled as he shot one more beam from his scythe, hitting the core once more directly. A light blue-green barrier suddenly appeared around Scorpio and shattered into little fragments of data, the words 'Protection Break' floating with the beast for a matter of moments as Haseo opened Skeith's right arm and transformed it into the familiar Data Draining Cannon.

Scorpio roared once more, attempting to retreat yet again, but Haseo was faster. He charged the cannon, easily dodging the small balls of black AIDA bubbles that its three tails shot at him, and fired the Data Drain at him in return. On contact, Scorpio screeched in pain as all of the data was absorbed from it and into the green-black ball, which returned to Haseo.

"Be...come..." Was the last word it managed, before all of its data was absorbed.

Haseo glowed red as he separated from Skeith and landed next to Yata and Kuhn, both of which who were starring at Eon in interest. "It looks like we're done here." He stated coolly as he turned to the girl who looked around wildly for something.

"_What's wrong with her?_" He whispered to Kuhn, careful she didn't hear.

"_It looks like she can't remember!_" He whispered back, obviously amazed with all he'd seen today.

"Let us go back, then." Yata said coldly before Haseo could test Kuhn's theory. "I presume that we _all_ had a hard day today." The Macabre Dancer then headed towards the blue warp panel at the end of the remains of the white walkway dismissively.

-Dual City: Breg Epona-

The four of them transferred in a light blue flash to Breg Epona, Eon being the first to say anything.

"Well...uh..." She murmured to herself, trying to come up with something to say. "So...thanks for ...rescuing me...?" She said, though sounded unsure with all that had happened. She had actually completely remembered what had happened, but didn't understand it in the least. She did not know where the sudden 'Scorpio' comment had come from, nor why the monster she saw had even _listened _to it for that matter. Too much made so little sense at the moment, and she decided to leave it to another day to figure out.

"Will you be logging out...?" Kuhn asked, still a little down hearted about the damsel in distress cliché going down so badly.

"Yeah..." Eon answered quickly, and with another spiral o blue light, logged out of 'The World' for the first time in seven hours that day.

"Well..." Kuhn murmured, looking at the clock on his desk before putting the M2D back on. "It looks like we were in there for quite some time...I hope she doesn't get in trouble..." He muttered.

Haseo only shrugged, but did feel a little pang of sympathy for her. His dad was always at work late, and didn't care about what he did in his spare time; not how many hours he played The World, or to when. Kuhn lived on his own, or at least that was his impression, so no one could yell at him other than his boss when he came to work late in the morning for sleeping in. And Yata? He _lived_ in the computer, or so it seemed. It didn't matter for him at all.

"I'll send you an E-mail soon, for now, rest." Yata ordered, and transferred to Mac Anu, leaving Haseo and Kuhn alone.

"Well...I guess that I'll see you too, Haseo." Kuhn bid farewell, and Logged Out.

Haseo yawned in the real world.

"I guess that I'll log out too..." He mumbled, heading to the Save Shop and finally Logging Out.

-Real World: Ippikiookami Residence -

Eon yawned, her mouth big enough to fit an entire pear in.

_What a...Interesting day..._ She thought, removing the M2D from her eyes. She yawned again, and looked at the clock.

3:37 AM

Eon gapped at the clock for a moment, and giggled.

"Guess I was in there for longer than I thought..." She muttered to herself, suddenly hearing yelling downstairs... Again...

She sighed. Would her parents never learn? This early and they were _already_ arguing about something. Some loving, caring family she had…

One more yawn and Eon stepped lazily over to her bed, nearly falling over with the surprise of moving from the seat. She had been sitting at the computer since 8:00; it felt strange to actually move now. She flopped onto her bed, enjoying the softness of the pillows and blankets.

_Well..._ She thought, beginning to drift off, _I wonder what tomorrow's adventures will bring..._ She then quickly drifted off to sleep.

-Real World: Misaki Residence-

Ryou opened his eyes lazily, turning over to see the clock next to his bed.

7:21 AM

He groaned. Only four hours of sleep; no wonder he felt so awful. He slowly lifted himself out of bed and headed into the kitchen, where he half-heartedly started to make himself breakfast.

_Thank God it's Saturday..._ He mentally cheered as he loaded rice into the rice cooker. He knew from experience that things would have ended up horribly if it was a week night when he went to school. Memories of puddles of drool on the desk and teachers throwing chalk board erasers at his head made him shiver. Those were _not_ good days.

After breakfast, Haseo wandered back into his room and almost instantly sat down at his desk, pulling the M2D over his eyes and picking up the controller. There was a bright flash, but Haseo was use to it by now, and the desktop of his computer flashed before his eyes. A message appeared almost instantly, stating that he had one important piece of mail, and flipped to the icon right to 'The World', and opened it. As expected, the E-mail was sent by Yata. He opened it.

"Come to Raven"

Ryou grunted. Why didn't he ever say _why_ he wanted them to come? Was it really that difficult he wondered, exiting Yata's E-mail and seeing only one more new E-mail from Atoli. He opened it silently and read,

"It would seem that you got the girl back, great job, Haseo!"

Ryou grinned a little. It was just like Atoli to send him an E-mail like this, cheering him on from the sidelines when she wasn't able to do anything herself.

"Alright..." Ryou muttered, stretching his arms up, exiting his mail and flipping over to The World. With a simple click The World stated to load instantly, and within a couple of seconds he was on the Log In screen. He selected the first choice and with a 'ting' The World came to life, right before his eyes.

Haseo stretched once more, only this time within The World. It was good to be back, even if he'd only left the game four hours ago. The World was like his home, more so than the one that he was living in just on the other side of his M2D. In this 'World', he had _friends_, and reasons to continue playing. If not for The World, Haseo didn't know _what_ he would do...

Even though Yata's mail said to come to 'Raven', Haseo could not help but wander away from the Chaos Gate and into the elevator of Breg Epona. For all that he knew, this could be the only time that he would enjoy all day, so he might as well go and find Silibus or Gaspard and see how his two Guild-mates were doing.

It didn't take long to recognise the cheerful voices of the two of them as Haseo entered the stairwell, just above the Guild Shop.

"Awww, no reason to be _shy_!" Gaspard said cheerfully.

"Yes! Our Guild 'Canard' helps out Newbie's like yourself!" Silibus put in.

It seemed that the two of them were trying to recruit yet another noob to teach, Haseo noted as he headed down the left set of stairs towards the Shop Acorn, which Gaspard normally took care of.

"I said _no!_" The newbie cried angrily, obviously not wanting to take part in one of Canards tutorials; her voice sounding oddly familiar to Haseo as he approached them.

"Oh come on, _please_?" Gaspard begged as she ran off in the direction of the 3-way Junction. He must've been unable to go with Silibus whenever he actually had Newbie's to teach, since the Shop Acorn would be lost without him.

"Oh, Haseo!" Silibus greeted him cheerfully. "I'm so glad that you're here! Gaspard wanted to go and help out some newbie's, since he hasn't been able to in a month; taking care of the shop and all." He explained, "so imagine our surprise when we met one right here, in front of the shop; though she refuses to come with us..."

"Yeah, Haseo!" Gaspard added, "Maybe if she knows more about your wins in the Arena, she might come with us!"

Haseo rubbed the top of his head in thought before sighing. How could he say no? It wasn't like he was going to force her to come anyway…

"All right, let's go and find her." Haseo said as Gaspard flung himself onto Haseo with a big bear hug.

"YAY! Haseeeeeeoooooooo!" He yelled cheerfully before the 'Terror of Death' pushed him off.

"Alright, stay _off_!" Haseo ordered, Gaspard looking a little sheepish, then raced off in the direction of the back alleyway, Silibus not far behind.

With another small sigh, Haseo chased after the two of them.

"Right here, Haseo!" Gaspard called as the Rogue rounded one of the many turns in the back alleyway to the larger clearing, where he had first met Aina.

"Introducing our Guild Master!" Gaspard announced as Haseo stepped forward, only flinch back as he saw _who_ the two of them were attempting to recruit.

"_YOU!_" Eon yelled, pointing a finger at Haseo. "These guys belong to _your_ Guild?" She demanded.

"Ah, I see that you recognise our Guild Master! No doubt from his feats in the Arena?" Silibus asked.

"_NO_!" Eon yelled angrily, making Silibus flinch. "I know him from _yesterday_, when _everything_ went wrong!"

"I...erm..." Haseo tried, but Eon continued.

"You won in the tournament? How, with that _attitude_?" She demanded. "I was nearly _PKed_ because you were slower than a turtle! Bakanakame!"

"Haseo...you know her...?" Gaspard asked, sticking a finger up to his mouth in thought.

"Yeah...and she's not a _big_ _fan_ either..." He muttered, trying to hide the malice in his voice.

Silibus looked back and forth from the dog-girl to his Guild Master.

"I-I'm sorry, Haseo!" He apologized quickly, "We didn't mean to put you into an awkward position like this... Let's go, Gaspard. There might be some more Newbie's in Mac Anu..." Silibus took Gaspard's hand quickly and lead him back up the alleyway.

Eon crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Haseo.

"Wh-what?" The Adept Rogue demanded, taking an offensive stance.

Eon was silent for a moment, trying to think of what exactly to say. "They said that you won in the tournament..." She muttered.

"Yes, and not _the_ tournament, I won all three of them." Haseo answered defensively.

"Then how...?" Eon asked. "Did you use..._it_?"

"What...?" He asked back. "Be more specific!"

"It...Skeith..." She murmured, almost inaudibly.

Haseo's heart pounded hard. How did she know about Skeith? Did she see it at the Sage Palace Tournament, when Sakaki attempted to ban him from The World? No, that couldn't be... She would've known that he had won the Tournaments then... So..._how_?

Eon turned and faced the horizon beyond the edge of Breg Epona. "I...saw it..." She muttered slowly. "He...it...fought that monster..."

Haseo froze. To be able to _see_ his Avatar meant that _she_ had one as well...didn't it? Did Yata know about this? IS that why he called him today...?

Eon turned, a smile forced on her face. "Well...uh...I'll be off then! I need to level up! Only level two now!" With a burst of speed, Eon ran past Haseo and up to the alleyway until out of sight.

"How..." Haseo breathed, slowly heading up as well. It was time to go to Raven.

-Eternal City: Mac Anu-

Haseo stepped out of the Cathedral quickly and turned to take the warp point next to the entrance, only to see Pi staring up at him furiously.

"You're _late_, Haseo!" She barked, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Master Yata has been expecting you for an _hour_! _Where _have you been?" The Tribal Grappler demanded.

"I-I've been..." Haseo tried, but no lies came. "I was in Breg Epona, and met Eon there..."

Pi seemed to calm down instantaneously. "O-oh...I see..." She murmured quietly. "Well, just don't keep Master Yata waiting any longer." She turned to head into the Cathedral.

"You're not going?" Haseo asked.

"No, I have another...mission..." Pi answered and entered though the large twin doors.

Haseo watched her leave for a moment, then turned to the warp panel and warped into Mercenary District.

-Raven: The Serpent of Lore-

Haseo entered the Serpent of Lore quickly, only to see that most of the Epitaph Users had already left. The only ones that remained were Endrance, who was obviously waiting to see him, and to his surprise, Atoli.

"I am glad that you have decided to join us today, Haseo." Yata said coldly, not bothering to turn to him from the monitors.

Haseo stepped forward to join Endrance and Atoli, who seemed relieved that he did show up after all.

"Yata." Haseo greeted curtly, unsure of what else he should say to him.

"You met the girl in Breg Epona, didn't you?" Yata asked Haseo, opening a new monitor in front of himself, showing Haseo talking to Eon in the alleyways of Breg Epona.

Haseo bit his tongue to hold back the sarcastic comment, 'I wonder', and instead forced himself to say, "Yes."

"Do you believe it possible that she can see the Avatars?" Yata asked, his voice uncertain for once.

Haseo paused and thought carefully about this. For some reason, the AIDA...Scorpio, as she called it, reacted to her words, and in the alleyway she _asked_ him about Skeith.

"I...think so..." He said at last, Atoli and Endrance both watching him closely. "She _asked_ me about Skeith; if I used it in the Tournaments...and the AIDA reacted..."

"Could it just mean that she was infected?" Yata asked, still staring up at the screen.

"I...well, maybe...but her character was completely reformatted; wouldn't that get rid of any AIDA within her?" Haseo tried.

Yata grunted then moved his hand over the floating sphere in front of himself. His hand moved slightly and the large screen of Haseo's conversation in Breg Epona vanished, only to be replaced with another large screen, overlooking a field with Eon's PC body running around in an area, Solo.

"Currently, we must gather as much information as possible. Kuhn, Sakubo and I will be gathering as much information on the AIDA as possible." Yata explained, looking up to the screen. "It is your job, Haseo, as well as Endrance, Pi and Atoli's, to shadow this player."

Atoli gasped. "Wh-what?" She covered her mouth. "I can't do that! It's not right!"

"Yeah!" Haseo agreed. "She's just a normal Player! There's no need to get her involved in this!"

"Is she a normal Player, Haseo?" Yata asked the Adept Rogue. "Do you not remember how the AIDA reacted to her? There could be some sort of connection with the AIDA and that player, which is why we must execute this with extreme caution. Until we know more about the situation, that is your job. Dismissed!" The Macabre Dancer announced, turning his back to them all completely and continuing to look at the screen.

Grudgingly, Haseo left the Serpent of Lore with Atoli and Endrance behind him. Once outside he swore.

"How does Yata expect us to do that?" He demanded, punching the wall.

"I don't know... Maybe Pi will do most of the work for us." She said hopefully.

"Whatever you choose to do, Haseo, I will follow." Endrance vowed, though it really did not help with the matter.

"Alright..." He muttered, thinking. "Let's go to the Chaos Gate for now...maybe we'll meet her there..." Haseo said, remembering Eon saying that she needed to level up again.

Yata watched the screen closely as the dog-girl ran in between monsters before slashing them with, as it appeared, her own claws. Yet another strange thing about her; the character class. Her class resembled a Tribal Grappler, but there was no weapon. With every level, her attack power slightly rose, not to mention how fast the weapon class seemed to raise as well.

"Was this your doing, Aura…?" Yata murmured as he watched Eon do a strange technique, a cross between Chaotic Strike for the Twin Blade weapon, only with her claws, like a Grappler.

-Delta Wondering King's Beast-

Eon raced across the field easily. This new PC body of hers was _way_ more agile than the Blade Brandier she had before, not to mention _so_ much stronger. Back then, Eon had also been a Solo Player, and resisted making parties with people that she didn't know. Considering that she was only level two when she entered this field, which was level six, she was doing pretty well. Eon had only used four Health Drinks and two Sprite Drops for healing. Pretty good, huh?

She could just barely see a party of three Goblin Rookies surrounding an alter across a bridge. With an eager burst of speed, she raced towards the alter before sneak attacking them with a simple push of the button. The fight was so easy that it was almost sad how fast she won. One 'Slash Wave' and that was one Goblin down; only two more to go. She then roundhouse kicked the other in the face and it went flying into the air. Without letting it land, Eon used the Skill Trigger one more time and used a brand new technique, Moon's Call. The Goblin came down, but only to land on her outstretched leg, catching it in the middle of the stomach. She pulled back her leg, and within a blink of an eye, gave it another roundhouse kick, this time to the face once more. It went flying into the barrier, dead before it landed. The final goblin started to whistle for a new comrade, but Eon gave it no time. She did a three hit combo with her claws and finished it off with an axe kick, right down on the top of its head.

The barrier vanished she collected the few items that the Goblins were carrying. Only a weak robe for a Harvest Cleric and two Health Drinks. She rubbed her forehead, as if it was a difficult fight, and kicked the chest open on top of the alter.

Just as she expected, a Symbol Fragment was in the box.

_That makes three of them!_ She thought cheerfully as she watched the three fragments combine into the Judge's Symbol and heard the rumbling of the treasure room opening in the distance. She raced towards that direction after she coordinated herself with the map once more before suddenly stopping, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

"Huh...?" She murmured, looking around the now empty field. She blinked, seeing no one, slowly continuing to the Temple.

Pi stepped out from behind a hill after the girl had run off. Master Yata was right; she was different from normal players. Not only did her appearance and techniques surpass the system's normal parameters, but she seemed to notice her presence as well. She crossed her arms. Was it really time to test Master Yata's theory, or should it wait, just for a bit longer?

The sudden voice from her communicator-function answered her question.

"Pi, it is time to make contact with the player." Came Yata's voice, serious as ever. "We need as much information as possible before we can begin to understand anything about AIDA's reappearance."

Pi listened for a bit longer in silence, seeing if Master Yata would give her any new orders, but he was already gone. She looked into the direction of the Temple, a small figure now exiting the building. She sighed. Out of all of the dirty work that she had done thus far in life, spying and collecting information on Haseo, as well as the rest of the G.U. members, why did this particular task feel so..._different?_

-Eternal City: Mac Anu-

Eon stepped from the Chaos Gate and stretched triumphantly. That had been a successful mission, if she didn't say so herself; she even had a few new items to sell at a shop.

She giggled to herself. The game seemed much more interesting with this character for some reason. Maybe because she felt needed by the 'Ultimate AI', or just the fact that she had a new challenge to overcome.

"Excuse me, miss…?" A voice came from behind Eon, nearly making her jump. She thought that the room was empty before…

"Y-yeah?" She stammered, turning to the pink-haired Tribal Grappler. "What do you want?"

Pi paused, wondering how she should say this. Once she had the right words in her head, she smiled to Eon innocently. "Would you like to go on an adventure with me?" She asked.

Eon was silent for a moment, then stuck out her tongue to Pi's amazement.

"Sorry, lady, but I'm not a n00b." She said dryly, turning to face the door again.

"I-I don't want to go with you because of your _level_!" Pi assured. _Only to fulfill Master Yata's orders…_

"Then why _do_ you want to come with me, Pee?" Eon asked, obviously attempting to get under Pi's skin.

"P-pee?" Pi said, shocked.

"Yeah, _pee_. That's yer name, right?" Eon asked, enjoying the Admin's expression.

"No! It's _Pi!_" She corrected, her eyebrow twitching in the real world.

"Oh, Pie." Eon typed, keeping her character from grinning like she was.

"N-no! _PI_! P-i!" Pi explained again.

"Oh...got it!" Eon assured before racing towards the door of the Cathedral. "Pee." She left as fast as her PC body's legs could take her.

A vein appeared along Pi's PC body's head.

"Th-that brat…" She growled, instantly reminded how Haseo was the first time that they met. She took a breath to calm down then headed towards the Cathedral door as well, only to bump into Haseo, Endrance and Atoli, who were watching the little miscreant run along the connecting bridge to Central, giggling her head off.

"Pi…?" Atoli asked, noticing the Grappler approach them. "I thought that you were supposed to be shadowing her…" She muttered, the last few words nearly silent.

Pi's mouth twitched as Haseo gave her a look, as if she couldn't do anything by herself. "I _was_ shadowing her, and I _was_ about to finish the mission." She explained, the three of them now listening carefully. "But she left instead of joining my party, or even gaining my member's address." She crossed her arms as if it was nothing.

"_Finish_ the mission?" Haseo questioned. "Just what does Yata want you to do, Pi?"

Pi hesitated. Yata's plan was risky enough the way that it was. Haseo would only complicate things more if she told.

"Nothing. Just a field test." She lied, and walked off in the general direction of the dog-girl.

Haseo didn't believe that Yata _just_ wanted a field test. That was why he had the Serpent of Lore at his command; but either way, he knew that he couldn't do anything but look as well.

"All right, let's go and find her." He ordered, and to his surprise, acknowledging nods followed.

Eon sat along the rail of Alchemy District, swinging her legs cheerfully. That was the highlight of her day; torturing a player that was too interested in her character. She leaned back. _Probably an Admin…_ She decided, tipping her head to the side slightly. It still didn't make sense, to her at least, how an AI could give her a completely original character, as well as the Admins not knowing anything about it. Were all NPC's like that? She'd heard of Adept Rogue's getting 'Job Extension's' from taking an NPC's quest, but Aura was supposed to be different than them…

Eon leaned back a tiny bit more before forcing her character body to jump up from the palms of her hands and onto her feet, right on top of the rail.

_Fifty points!_ She thought, then noticed a small, black-haired girl staring at her.

"What do you want?" Eon asked then paused, suddenly recognising the character name. "_Axel?_" She asked, looking from left to right after saying the name.

"Yep-yep!" She answered cheerfully, also looking around to listeners to their conversation.

Deeming that this wasn't a good place to talk, Eon quickly gave Axel her Member's Address, adding her to her party. Axel switched the conversation to whisper.

"What happened to _you_?" She demanded, surprised by how much her character's image had changed. That last time she was on, Axel was a Twin Blade PKer called 'Axel The Tempest', part of the Chaotic PKer's list, but now…now she was a short-looking girl with a lightning bolt tattoo through one of her eyes. She had a Chim Chim backpack attached to her back, and was _way_ more adorable than before…

"What happened to _me_? What about _you_! The only reason that I recognised you was from that trick just now! You did it all the time before you disappeared!"

He…or at least, that's what she called him in the real world, was right. Prior to being stuck in a coma for all that time, the only party that she would _ever_ make was with him and the Lord Partisan, Hikaru; yet she couldn't even recognise herself with this new PC body...

"Well…a lot of stuff…happened and…" She tried to explain before Axel shot up and glomped her.

"It happened to _you too_?" He asked, Eon a little confused before he spouted, "Aura!"

Eon was shocked. She wasn't the _only_ one that Aura contacted!

"What did she say to you?" She asked, interested in the topic too much to notice Pi approaching them.

"Somethin' about taking a hard path… something else about being a Child of God's…whatever that is…and then she gave Hikki and me these _awesome_ characters! Look, I'm even _better_ than before!" He bragged, Pi now standing next to them.

It didn't matter if Pi was there, their conversation was now on whisper, and not even an Admin would hear them outside of the party.

"Cool! My level was reset when I logged back into The World, so I'm not that strong yet, but I've got a class to my own!" Eon explained, Axel just as enthusiastic as herself. "I don't even _need_ to by weapons anymore!"

"I _know_, isn't it great? I still use twin blades, but they're different than normal ones." He explained. "Hey, wanna go and check it out?" He invited, Eon eagerly nodding her head.

Axel raced past Pi as he headed towards the Warp Panel to get to the Chaos Gate. Before Eon ran after him, she switched the conversation back to normal and couldn't help but say, "See ya, Pee!" She quickly raced off after the hacked Twin Blade.

Pi was furious. It was Pi! _PI!_ She thought angrily before holding her hand up to her ear and contacting Yata.

"Master Yata…it seems that she is heading into an area with another player…what should I do?" She asked.

There was a brief moment before his reply. "Let's watch for now." He said, cutting out as quickly as last time.

Pi starred at the paved ground for a moment before slowly heading towards the Warp Panel as well.

What could Yata be thinking…?

-Delta Hidden Beast's Attack-

Eon, Axel, and the new and improved Hikaru, all entered the area silently. This was a cave dungeon; a low enough level to get by easily, but high enough to show off some new moves.

"Where do we go from here…?" Hikaru asked monotonously, his character's eyes closed.

"Can you even see like that…?" Eon questioned, receiving a small nod in response.

"TOO THE BEAST STATUE THEN!" Axel announced loudly, shooting his arm up into the air, pausing to grin. "Hey Eon! This character has some awesome new abilities as well…"

"Isn't that why we're _here_, Axel?" She asked.

"No, not _only_ battle abilities…" He said, the grin on his PC body's face widening.

Eon took a defensive stance. "If you PK me, Axel, you'll regret it…"

"Don't worry, I won't PK _you_…" He muttered, making a hand sign with his PC body's fingers. In an instant a popping sound echoed all around the first floor of the dungeon and smoke surrounded Axel.

"Axel?" Eon called before a taller, stronger-looking character emerged from the smoke.

"See? Told you." The voice deeper but belonging to the original 'Axel'. "Now I'm a ninja as well!"

Pi entered the dungeon in a spiralling blue flash. It didn't take long for her to use a Fairy's Orb and start trekking through the dungeon after the trio. Most of the monsters were already gone, she noted as she approached the cliff leading to the second area. Once on that floor she used one more Fairy's Orb and started towards the Beast Statue in that area, skipping the poor Mecha Grunty in her haste.

She heard their voices before she actually saw them, running after a few Chim Chim's that they 'd kicked off of the Chim Train.

She sighed, relieved that she hadn't missed anything important until she noticed the black-haired one's mysterious transformation.

_Is she a hacker…?_ Pi asked herself as they finished kicking the last remaining Chim Chim and headed into the final area of the Dungeon, the Beast Statue.

Pi followed silently, watching as the black-haired one kicked the box open a little harder than she should. The blonde one picked up a pair of level ten Twin Blades and handed them to the black-haired one, who added them to her inventory. She turned to look at Eon who was looking around hesitantly, before actually seeing it come…

"See? Pretty cool stuff if you ask me!" Axel said cheerfully, putting the Twin Blades into his inventory. "Next time I'll get you an item, Eon!" He promised, but she wasn't listening.

"Do you feel that…?" She asked, looking from the Gott Statue, to the walls, to the ceiling.

"Feel what?" Hikaru asked, still as monotonous as ever.

"Like someone's watching us…" She murmured, shaking it off.

"Well, looks like it's nothing…so let's go back! I still need to fulfill my quota!" Axel explained.

"What 'quota'?" Eon asked, though she already knew the answer.

"My PK's of course!" He answered as the floor began to rumble viciously.

"_Get back!"_ Pi yelled, racing towards them as they turned to her, backs facing the now growing AIDA…

* * *

Whoo, rewrite, and let's all play a game, shall we? It's called, count how many 'before's' are in this chapter! 8D ….god there are too many… Sorry for the spam of it, but I REALLY couldn't think of any other words to use in these cases…sorry… I did manage to lose ten though… *Heh…*

Okay, about Axel, in case anyone was wondering. Axel _has _no gender. He's neither boy, nor girl. XP Thank Miffin for giving me something hard to work with. I will continue to refer to him as a 'him' from Eon's PoV, and from others that do not know him, as a girl, since he really does look like one…

Well, reviews are welcomed, again, but not really necessary. XP;; So have a nice day until the next update. Later!


	4. Epitaphs?

Another disclaimer! (Whoo, I'm on a role…) .hack/G.U. and all of its characters don't belong to me. Duh…  
Axel and Hikaru belong to Miffin/Pudding Fiend, as well as the new characters Ginny and Aurum.  
Eon and Shiruba are the only one that belongs to me in the chapter, other than the story itself, and all of the insanity and that may follow in later events…Those are mine as well…

Also, thanks for all of the reviews...other than you, Miffin… XP It's called _sarcasm…_ (Just kidding)

I'm currently _trying_ to make it better; though the stupid spell check disagrees with me too much, which makes it a lot harder.

A few specific words that are wrong are purposely used though:  
Spoot = Shoot

Now, to the story!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Epitaphs?**

* * *

"_Get away!_"Pi repeated, slashing her arm through the air diagonally.

"Wha…?" Axel asked, turning to look behind him, the other two copying.

Eon and Hikaru gaped at the large black bubbles that were now materializing around the Gott Statue at an amazingly fast rate. Axel, on the other hand, only said one word:

"…Crap…"

-Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore-

Yata watched his monitor carefully. It was true that he wished to witness one more AIDA attack on the girl, to see if she really _was_ an Epitaph user…but not like this…

It was too soon. Only a day since the last attack, and with two _other_ players no less! This was not turning out as planned.

Yata moved his hand over the floating sphere, making a smaller, light blue screen appear.

"Pi," he said, eyes fixed on the multiplying AIDA. "It is too soon to test the theory."

-Delta Hidden Beast's Attack-

Pi had trouble not shouting 'you think?' into the mic.

"Yes, Master Yata," she replied, watching the three players as they starred up at the AIDA like idiots. Did they _not_ understand how dangerous it was here right now? With the rumbling and creepy flickering lights, you'd think it'd be _pretty_ obvious. "What are your orders?"

"Use Tarvos. I will call Haseo, Atoli and Endrance for back up," he said, his voice cutting out quickly.

Pi nodded to the mic before holding her right arm in front of herself; pink symbols surrounded her body.

"Come to me, Tarvos!" She announced, and within an instant the pink 'Avenger' had appeared around Pi, ready to fight.

Eon gasped when she saw the pink Avatar appear.

"Not another one!" She covered her head with her arms as Tarvos flew overhead and into the manifesting AIDA.

Axel and Hikaru only looked up in awe at the appearance of it.

"That…wasn't always there…was it…?" Axel asked, pointing at Tarvos. It was now attempting to find the core of the AIDA.

"No…" Eon muttered.

"Pink…" Hikaru said calmly, pointing.

"Oh my God, it's pink! 8O" Axel squeaked. Obviously the fact that they were all in danger had still not set in…

-Eternal City: Mac Anu-

Haseo let out a low, furious growl as he ruffled his PC body's hair. Some 'shadowing' they were doing, when they couldn't even find the one that they were _supposed_ to shadow. Atoli and Endrance didn't help matters either. Atoli would easily get distracted; talking to shop keepers and players instead of asking for information. Endrance, on the other hand, continued to proclaim his love for the Adept Rogue every moment that Atoli had been distracted.

Haseo sighed as he looked up to the bright Mac Anu sun. This was not going very well…

"Haseo, can you hear me?" Yata's voice came in through the communication function, making Haseo jump.

"Y-yeah. What is it…?" He asked, noticing Atoli and Endrance now paying close attention. _Now…_

"You, Atoli, and Endrance are to go to Delta, Hidden Beast's Attack and destroy the AIDA in that area," he explained curtly before cutting out like he had done Pi.

Haseo listened for a moment more before looking up to Endrance and Atoli.

"Alright, you heard that, right? Let's get moving!" Haseo ordered, racing towards the Warp Panel next to the Quest Shop.

-Delta Hidden Beast's Attack-

_Where is it…?_ Pi wondered, scanning through the AIDA, which had by now spread beyond the Gott Statue and onto the back walls of the Treasure Room. Her gaze flickered from one dense area of bubbles to the next, before noticing the three players looking up at her, the blonde one pointing.

"Wow…" Axel murmured, rubbing his chin. "Is this some kind of quest?"

"_No, you idiot_!" Eon yelled, hitting him hard, quickly pointing back up to Pi. "The same thing happened yesterday to me! A _big_ white monster came and saved me from a big purple monster after this happened!"

Axel laughed.

"Don't be _silly,_ Eon! That monster is _pink_! And those bubbles are black! ;3" He explained, earning a new whack to the head.

"Is that not Miss Pee up there?" Hikaru asked, pointing at Pi who was finally looking down at them.

"Yeah, it's Pee." Eon said, nodding. "But the one that saved me yesterday was a 'Haseo'. XP"

"I see," Hikaru noted, looking at the AIDA. "Axel and I had a similar run-in."

"Yep-yep!" Axel said cheerfully. "But no one came to save us. :( Nope-nope! We were attacked by some _goat_ monster, that kept yelling 'become', and then we _died_! :o The next thing that Hikki and I knew, we were in a dark room with a girl in white….and poof! We were like this!" Axel shot his arms out, as if showing himself off.

"How did you get away?" Eon asked, remembering that she returned back to the battlefield after Aura had tampered with her PC body.

"We just were," Hikaru explained. "We woke up in our room; the game was off."

_Lucky_… Eon thought, soon noticing a small, pinky-coloured thing begin to emerge from the mass of bubbles. _Great…_

Pi saw it too and charged towards it with Tarvos. As soon as the nail in Tarvos' stomach hit the manifesting beast, there was a loud scream of agony. The AIDA bubbles retreated instantly to their master, revealing the beast.

This one had two large, spiralling horns on a more pronounced head than the last AIDA beast had. It stood on four legs, three long claws on each and spikes coming out in random spots. There was a long, thin tail, black AIDA bubbles pulsing from the end of it. A blackish core remained just below its neck, inside of the chest of the monster. Its yellow eyes glared at Pi viciously.

"Become…" The beast ordered, waving its tail and instantly creating a Cyberspace battle zone. "Become…"

Axel and Hikaru stared up at the monster in horror. Axel was the one to speak.

"Aw, shit… XP"

-Delta Hidden Beast's Attack: Second Floor Entrance-

Haseo swore as he looked at the map. Where could they be? This floor was _huge_!

"Do you think that they're at the Beast Statue?" Atoli asked, looking at the map over his shoulder.

"_Yeah,"_ Haseo answered, trying not to lose his temper. "But where, may I ask, _is_ the Beast Statue?" He shook the map, showing that all of the treasure chests in the area had been opened, therefore no longer showed their locations.

"Um…" Atoli murmured, unable to answer.

"Shall we try this room, Haseo…?" Endrance asked, pointing to a room with a little blue circle in it. "The Treasure Room always has a Warp Panel to the left of the room, once entered…"

Haseo had no time to argue and only nodded quickly, racing farther into the dungeon at full speed.

Endrance followed quickly, but Atoli was falling behind fast. As usual.

_Why are Harvest Clerics so slow…?_ She wondered, attempting to speed up, but failing miserably.

Pi charged at the beast again, but it dodged swiftly before shooting some black AIDA bubbles at the Admin. Pi dodged the bubbles, but not nearly as swiftly as she flung herself into the wall right above the three players below.

Eon ducked her head and covered it again. This was the last thing that she needed at the moment.

"Hey! Watch it, pinky! :O" Axel ordered, shaking his fist at Pi and the Avatar.

"Yes. Watch out." Hikaru repeated rather unnecessarily.

Pi was shocked as the blonde and freaky player (Axel) said that. Could they see her Avatar as well?

The AIDA beast roared and swung its head around, charging full-force at Pi yet again. She just barely had enough time to fly upwards, making it slam into the wall that she had just hit.

Pi sighed in relief, slowly floating away from the beast, but it did not follow. The monster had turned its attention down to the three players below, eyes almost glowing with satisfaction.

"Oh spoot, spoot, _spoot_!" Axel yelled, backing away from the monster, but there was nowhere to run. The few white tiles that remained in the room were in a circular pattern. Unless he planned to race in circles all day, there were very few options... Then again, knowing him, that wasn't too unlikely.

"This is bad…" Eon mumbled, also backing away.

The monster howled, lowering its neck and aiming itself downwards at them.

"_Run!_ O.o" Axel ordered, the three of them scattering.

The monster seemed confused, swinging its head from side to side as if trying to pick the one that it was going to chase. After a moment more of 'thought', as it seemed, the monster chose to chase the Twin Blade, Axel, over the other two and dashed in his direction.

"What the hell? Why _meeeeeeeee!_ .;;"

Pi swore as she pursued the AIDA. Tarvos rammed into its side, but it didn't even seem to notice her anymore; it was too intent on chasing the kid.

She swore one more time before speeding up, dropping right in front of the beast in an attempt to halt it. It didn't work. The beast continued to charge straight at her.

She gritted her teeth as it collided with her. The thing was surprisingly persistent. It was still able to push her, inch by inch.

Axel looked up, noticing the pink Avatar stop the monster. He slowed down, then stopped.

"Yes! Go Pinky go!" He cheered, shooting his arm up…until the monster shook its head ferociously and shook Pi off of it.

Axel's expression went from cheering to horror in an instant.

"_Not again!_" He yelled, racing off in the opposite direction of the monster yet again.

"_Piiiii_!" Haseo yelled, entering the Cyberspace at full speed, Endrance on his heels, and Atoli racing in last.

Pi looked down the Adept Rogue, relief rushing over her like a spring breeze.

"Haseo!" She yelled, then pointed at the AIDA beast chasing Axel.

Haseo nodded, waiting for Pi to dismiss Tarvos and land next to him.

"We need to stop that thing!" She said urgently, watching Axel run from the beast at an amazingly fast speed…much faster than a normal PC body. Had Aura tampered with that one as well…?

"Understood," Haseo turned to his party. "Atoli, Endrance!" he called, but the other two were already waiting to give his Avatar their power.

Haseo shut his eyes and held his arm in front of his body.

"Come on…" He murmured. "Come on…" He could hear the black haired player racing their direction, AIDA not far behind. "I'm right _here_!"

"SKEITH!"

Red symbols flashed around his body as Atoli and Endrance glowed green and pink, releasing their Avatar's into Skeith.

"Take our power, Haseo!" Atoli called to him, watching Skeith charge at the on-coming AIDA.

"It is yours to use!" Endrance announced as Axel raced towards them before attempting to stop in an instant.

_Total_ wipe out… D:

Axel went flying, tripping over his own two feet into the white wall right next to Pi, who jumped away in shock.

"How do you do, mister bunny rabbit…?" He asked, dizzily.

Eon shut one of her eyes and winced as she watched Axel go flying and slam hard into a wall. She slowed to a stop,and turned to look behind herself at Hikaru, who had surprisingly walked the _whole time_.

_Does he EVER run?_ She wondered as he finally caught up.

"Axel is hurt." Hikaru stated bluntly.

"Wow, I wonder _why_?" Eon answered sarcastically.

"Because he has slammed into a wall." Hikaru answered, not getting the sarcasm.

Eon fumed for a moment before looking up to Skeith.

"That was the guy that saved me yesterday." She pointed.

"I see…" Hikaru didn't seem to be paying attention, keeping an eye on Axel's still form.

"Do you really…?" Eon asked.

"No, my eyes are shut," he said calmly, not even looking in the general direction of Skeith.

Eon fumed once more then attempted to pry one of his eyes open. It did not work.

"That hurts," Hikaru stated, though there was no pain in his voice.

"Then open your stupid eye!" Eon demanded.

"What if it is not stupid?" he asked.

"ARGH!" She yelled and jumped off of the tall Lord Partizan. Hikaru was driving her nuts, but it couldn't be helped; that was how he always was. The calm and silent voice of reason.

"Are you alright?" Pi asked, shaking Axel's shoulder.

"Huh…?" He shook his head and squinted up at her. "What happened, Pee…?"

A red pulsing vein appeared on the back of Pi's head.

"My name is _Pi_," she corrected, attempting to keep her cool. "As for what happened, you went flying and hit this wall." She pointed at the wall that Axel had just slammed into. It was missing a good chunk from where his head hit.

"_No!_" Axel said angrily. "I _meant_, what happened to the big pink monster!"

Pi stared at him. So he really _could_ see Tarvos back then!

"What pink monster?" She demanded. She had to be sure; she had to know _what_ he had seen. Could he just be meaning the AIDA…?

"The pink one!" Axel clarified, waving his arms above his head. "The one with the nail and wings! The one that _ate _you!"

Pi couldn't help but stare.

"You saw Tarvos…?" She asked, though mostly to herself.

Atoli had just approached when she heard Pi say that and gasped.

"You can see them _too_?" Atoli covered her mouth with her hands.

"See what?" Axel got to his feet. "The big floating monster! You know, like _that_ one?" He pointed to Skeith. "Because, if _that's_ what you mean, then no freaking _duh! :(_"

"_Axeeeeeeeeeel_!" Eon yelled, racing towards him, Hikaru in a slight jog behind her.

"Oh, Eon! _HIKKI_!" He yelled enthusiastically, waving back to them, completely forgetting about the fight between the giant creepy monsters behind him.

Eon was panting when she reached him.

"You. Okay?" She asked, breathing hard.

"She saw you hit the wall." Hikaru explained.

"You didn't, Hikki…?" Axel asked.

"No. My eyes were closed. As they are now." He smiled.

Axel laughed cheerfully.

"Okay, Hikki!" He said cheerfully, glomping the blonde.

Eon finally caught her breath and looked back up to Skeith.

"So…how's he going to win this one?" She asked, pointing at the large, yellow eyes of the AIDA. "This one can see."

"Yeah-yeah!" Axel agreed, hopping up and down. "This is the one that got us yesterday! He's gotta kill it! _REVENGE! _:O" He yelled, shooting a fist into the air.

"Y-yesterday?" Pi asked, surprised.

"Yes. Yesterday. The previous day before this current day. Two days before tomorrow," Hikaru explained blandly.

"I-I didn't need a definition!" Pi shouted, "What do you mean, 'yesterday'?"

"Yesterday. Simple as that. _We_. Were _attacked_. Y_esterday_." Axel said as if talking to a three year old.

Another red vein appeared on the back of Pi's head. These kids were going to give her an ulcer at this rate...

"So, you mean to say that you were attacked? If so, what happened?" She asked.

Eon shot Axel a quick look, which said 'don't give anything away!'

"The same thing that happened to Eon," Axel answered calmly.

Atoli turned from Eon, to Pi, to Axel, and back. It seemed that they _liked_ this…

Pi turned to Hikaru desperately. "Can _you_ explain what happened?"

"The same thing happened to Eon," he answered. "Then we woke up in our room, Ms. Pee."

Pi sighed. This was not what she had hoped for. The three of them seemed to enjoy conspiring against her, and what's worse, they all enjoyed messing her name up royally to boot.

Haseo grunted as the goat-like AIDA rammed into him once more. Its head was quite hard, considering how much it appeared to be nothing more but purple jelly. He quickly flipped Skeith's scythe around and jabbed it into one of its eyes with the back of it.

The AIDA screeched in agony as he yanked it out. It swung its head about, temporarily stunned. Suddenly though, it dashed towards Haseo, who easily dodged, only to hit a wall. The AIDA howled angrily as it pulled its head back and glowered at Haseo furiously, the yellow eye reforming from the black and purple mush.

Haseo flinched back in surprise. Regeneration?

"_KILL DEATH!_" The AIDA screamed and lunged at him once more. Haseo quickly shifted his scythe diagonally as the AIDA smashed into him again. The scythe took most of the damage for him, but this was _not_ going so well. Just like the last AIDA, Scorpio, he couldn't find a weak point or paralyze it, no matter how many times he shot or hit it. He swore as he flung himself backwards and away from it.

"It's not working!" He announced to the others, slowly floating their way.

"Not working?" Pi demanded, gritting her teeth together hard. This couldn't possibly get any worse. Even if she were to use Tarvos again to help Haseo, there was no guarantee that she or he wouldn't go berserk. She quickly started to think of things that they had not tried. Maybe if she were to give him Tarvos' power, it would help? But then, what if _that_ was not enough either? He already had both Macha _and_ Innis' power inside of Skeith.

She swore silently, and closed her eyes tight in thought. Why was it turning out like this?

"Haseo, _watch out!_" Atoli cried, alerting Pi instantly. She opened her eyes only to see the AIDA. Instead of charging _at_ him, it was now charging an attack with its glowing, yellow eyes.

"_Haseo!_" She called, but it was too late. The monster had already finished charging and shot a large, golden beam out of both its eyes.

Haseo had no time to defend both himself, _and_ his companions. Skeith was hit head-on by the attack. The force of it shook him violently, as Skeith slowly floated towards the white tiles that Pi and the others were standing on before disappearing completely, red sparkles floating off of him.

"_Haseo!_" Pi, Endrance, and Atoli all seemed to call in unison as they raced towards the Adept Rogue.

"Well…this sucks… -. -" Axel said, crossing his arms and looking from Haseo to the AIDA. "Yep, we're screwed."

"Don't say that!" Eon retorted angrily, hitting Axel on the head hard. "So what if _he_'s down! There's _gotta_ be another way!" The truth was, she was terrified beyond reason right now. Last time Haseo had been able to beat back the monster for them; now that he had _lost_, she didn't even know what they could do.

"What should we do?" Hikaru asked quietly; even he looked a _little_ concerned.

"Well, we can't run, unless we know how to run in circles for infinity…so…we fight?" Axel shrugged.

"But how?" Hikaru looked rather unconcerned considering their situation, only a small frown on his face.

"I dunno. Any ideas, Eon?" Axel scratched the back of his head. _Hmm, I wonder if I already made a will? Wait, don't I need a lawyer for that? Crap._

"…No…" She murmured.

"Well," Hikaru mumbled quietly. "What if these new characters have some special abilities…like theirs?" He pointed at Haseo, who was barely moving on the ground, and the three Epitaph Users surrounding him. "We already know that these characters have a few abilities that are not in the game. Such as Axel's ability to change from the small player, to this one." Axel and Eon gawked at him, mouths open.

"He…He just said something…_Smart!_" Eon gasped, pointing at him.

"That is not very kind," Hikaru said, although he was smiling.

"All right then! Okay! _HRRRMMM! ._" Axel grunted, appearing as if he were constipated.

Eon couldn't help but laugh at his face: all scrunched up, and his cheeks puffed out like a fish.

Axel stopped and took a deep breath.

"Man…concentrating is hard work. Thank Aura I don't do it much," he rubbed his head.

Eon finally managed to calm down from her laughing fit, turning to look towards the AIDA monster. It was slowly advancing towards them, walking towards them at a casual pace, as if it had nothing more to worry about.

"Alright," She said, turning her attention back to Axel and Hikaru. "We need to do it _now_!" She explained, pointing back at the ADIA without looking at it.

For once, Axel looked semi-serious and nodded, Hikaru copying him.

"Okay, so…to call one of those big monster thingies…I _don't _ think that t involves a weird face." She explained, looking at Axel. "So…what do you think that we need to do…?" She asked.

"Concentrate, and ask them to come forth." Hikaru answered simply; again, Axel and Eon looked at him in horror.

"Who are you, and _what_ did you do with Hikaru?" Eon demanded, before closing her eyes in concentration, Axel doing the same. Hikaru's were already closed.

Eon pinched her eyes shut tighter, thinking of the strange monsters that the Epitaph Users had summoned. The big green one, the first one that she saw, back in Aura's domain. The pink one with the nail stuck in its gut….and finally, the white one, Skeith. She remembered how Haseo had said something to call Skeith.

'I'm right here…?'

She clenched her teeth together as she tried to concentrate harder.

_Come on…_

The picture of the Avatars that she had currently seen burned brightly in her head.

_Come. ON…_

She imagined the Avatars in greater detail, but something seemed off. It was getting a little fuzzy.

_What…?_

The image of the Avatars was beginning to fade away quickly.

_NO! Come back!_

The picture was almost completely gone as she tried to reach towards it. Why was she forgetting it?

_Come here!_

Suddenly, the picture of the Avatars vanished completely, and the picture of the Gott Statue's of Breg Epona's server filled its place.

_What…?_ She wondered, before a horrible, painful pulse came from her chest. She grunted in pain. What was going on?

Eon wrapped her arms around herself as the picture in her head grew clearer. She then noticed that it wasn't the _statue_ that she was looking at, but some large, four-legged beast similar to it. She grunted as the pulsing increased and grew even more painful. She dared to open an eye to look at Axel and Hikaru. The same thing was happening to them too.

"_Haseo?_" Pi called.

He grunted as he pushed himself from the ground. His whole body ached.

"What happened…?" He forced himself to ask.

Pi looked to Atoli and Endrance, before answering.

"You were hit but the AIDA, and Skeith was dismissed." She answered. "Are you alright…?"

"Peachy." Haseo answered as he put his hand over his face and sighed heavily. "What about the AIDA?" He asked.

"It is approaching." Endrance answered before Pi had a chance to.

He swore. This was bad. Skeith was out of commission for the moment, and he was too tired to move to boot. What a _lovely_ day. He lifted his gaze up to the AIDA, and watched it approach, step by step. Another swear. He flung his head into his hand, before looking up slightly to see the other three clutching their stomachs and chests, as if in pain.

"Wha…?" Haseo asked himself, as he motioned them. The other Epitaph Users moved their gaze from the Adept Rogue, to the players slowly.

"What?" Pi asked, getting up from her knees.

"What's happening?" Atoli asked, as black symbols surrounded Axel, white around Hikaru, and crimson for Eon.

Haseo starred in disbelief. So it was true. They really did have…

"Epitaphs…"

_Okay, maybe this was a BAD idea…_ Eon thought as she shut her eye with another pulse. Was it her own heartbeat that she was feeling? Was she having a heart attack?

Axel cried out from beside her.

Nope, unless they were _all_ having one…

Suddenly, there was one final, large pulse, and everything went black.

-Unknown: Realm of the God's-

Eon grunted as she opened her eyes. Everything was black.

"Great…" She mumbled quietly. "I _died_ again…"

"Wake up, genius." Came a sharp voice.

Eon flinched as she pushed herself up. She blinked a few more times, before noticing that Axel and Hikaru were there too, but they weren't looking at her.

"Did you say that…?" She asked Axel, rubbing her left eye.

Axel shook his head, still not facing her.

_Well I bet Hikaru didn't…_ She thought, stepping up to Axel.

"What are you looking at?" She asked.

Axel only pointed a finger.

"Huh…?" Eon murmured to herself.

"I think that _she_ said that…" He finally managed, pointing to a giant, silver dog, two large dragons at its sides.

-Delta Hidden Beast's Attack-

"Where'd they go?" Haseo demanded, forcing himself up.

"Take it easy, Haseo…" Atoli ordered, trying to stop him from standing. She failed miserably.

"They vanished." Endrance muttered, mostly to himself.

Pi was still gawking at the spot that the three were lying in a moment again. She _felt_ a pulse coming from them. There was no mistaking it. The moment the pulse had gone, so had they. What was going on with 'The World'?

Haseo looked up to the AIDA, who had stopped completely, and started to swing its head around, looking for them.

"Maybe it's a good thing that they vanished…" Haseo whispered, pointing at the monstrous AIDA. "It seems to only respond to them."

"True but…we can't just overlook this!" Pi said urgently.

"What if we don't _need_ to look for them…?" Endrance said thoughtfully.

"What…?" Pi asked.

"It seems that they _have_ Epitaphs, but, we are the only Epitaph users in 'The World'. Could it be that they are receiving a similar power, elsewhere…?" He explained.

Haseo stared at Endrance. Yes, at times, Endrance had saved his butt from total destruction and humiliation, but coming up with something like _this_? It seemed _way_ out of character, for the lovey-dovey Blade Brandier.

"I…I see…" Pi muttered, "But, I hope that they are all right…"

-Unknown: Realm of the God's-

Eon gaped at the giant beasts.

"Please don't eat me!" Axel begged, making a cross with his fingers.

The silver dragon, to the left of the giant dog snorted angrily.

"Keep acting like that, you imbecile, and I will!" She snarled, licking her scaly lips, some large, triangular teeth showing.

Axel whimpered before the dragon on the right side of the dog, gold and slightly larger, flicked its tail in front of the silver dragon.

"Enough, Ginryuu." His voice boomed, though only because of his size.

'Ginryuu', as he called her, snorted angrily and glared sharply at Axel, who now cowered behind Hikaru.

"All right, listen up, losers." The dog said, glaring down at the three of them. "You three have been born of the Gods." It explained, making Eon, Axel and Hikaru look from one another confused.

"_That_ means that you the _power_ of the Gods." Ginryuu explained angrily. "Right, Aurum?" She asked to golden dragon.

"Correct." He answered simply.

"Got it?" The dog suddenly demanded; the three of them nodding instantly. "Good," She said, motioning towards Ginryuu. "_You there!_" She yelled, her golden eyes fixed on Axel, who let out a small squeal of terror. "Ginryuu will aid you in your times of need!" She announced, Ginryuu stepping forwards.

"Better be worth my while." She snorted angrily, before vanishing into a small ball of silver light and flying into Axel's chest. He let out another squeal of horror, but nothing horrible happened…yet…

"You there! Blondey!" The dog howled, snout pointed at Hikaru.

"Who…me…?" He asked, looking around for other blondes.

The dog growled angrily and looked to Aurum.

"You will receive Aurum for times of need." She said, attempting to keep her tempter at bay.

The large dragon stepped forward and bowed his head slightly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Child of the Gods." He said before vanishing into a golden ball of light, and like Ginryuu, flew into Hikaru's chest.

"And you!" The dog suddenly growled the moment Aurum vanished completely.

"Y-yeah?" Eon asked, shaking hard.

"Lucky you, you get me!" She said sarcastically. "Don't you _dare_ call me for nothin', _got it?_" She demanded.

Eon nodded her head quickly, afraid to disobey the monstrous hound.

"My name's Shiruba; and don't you _dare_ forget it!" She howled and vanished into a crimson ball of light, and like the others, entered Eon.

After seeing that all of the monsters were gone, Axel shook.

"Okay…creepy much…? ." He asked.

"Indeed." Hikaru stated calmly.

"So…now what…? We 'have' weird creepy giant monsters…so now what?" She asked.

_Weird creepy monsters?_ Shiruba's voice echoed from seemingly nowhere. _I'LL show you weird and creepy!_

Axel squealed in terror once more and hid behind Hikaru again. The giant talking animals were _not_ good for his zoophobia…

"Th-they talked!" He exclaimed, shocked.

_OF COURSE WE TALKED YOU MORON!_ Ginryuu's voice boomed. _SO LONG AS YOU ARE IN OUR WORLD, WE'LL TALK HOWEVER MUCH AS WE #$%ING WANT!_

_Ginryuu…_ Aurum's voice came now. _That is enough._

_IT WILL BE ENOUGH WHEN I $#*ing think it's enough!_ She swore.

_ENOUGH!_ Shiruba's voice spoke. _We will send you back to the battlefield. Try to summon us there._ She barked more calmly.

"Wait, what?" Eon called, but before she could even ask _how_ to summon their new 'Avatar's', there was a horrible spinning motion, and the three of them were flung into a spiralling mess of colours…

-Delta Hidden Beast's Attack-

"_OW!_" Axel complained. "That #$%ing _hurt_!"

Eon hit him hard while attempting not to vomit. "Don't. Swear." She breathed before toppling over onto her butt.

"Ugh…" Hikaru moaned as he fell over as well. Eon was surprised that _he_ of any of them didn't barf, considering his motion sickness. He couldn't even bare to watch the Chim Chim train!

"_Eon?_" Haseo called, surprised by their sudden appearance after they'd pulled a Houdini.

"Five more minutes…" She murmured, her eyes still spinning from their sudden 'disembarkment'.

"I don't think that we _have_ five more minutes." Axel said, pointing up at the AIDA-goat, which had noticed their arrival as well. Without a moment to lose, the monster had started to charge their way, no hesitation at all.

"_Awww…_why _now_?" She demanded, slowly pushing herself to her feet. She turned to Axel, most of the dizziness now gone. "What are we going to do now, oh idiotic leader?" She asked.

"Summon…?" he asked, apparently unfazed by his new nickname.

"All right. Then explain _how_ to then?" Eon asked angrily.

"I dunno! Hey! _PEE!_" Axel called to the Admin, whose eye started twitching instantly.

She raced over to the three of them, Haseo, Endrance and Atoli behind her.

"Yes…?" She asked, giving up on correcting them.

"How do _you_ _guys_ summon those big scary monsters…?" He asked, before noticing at the AIDA closing in fast. "_!_" He yelled, and shut his eyes in concentration.

_Okay…Ginny…? Come on! We KINDA need you right now…_

_WHAT. Did. You. Call. Me…?_ The dragon responded in his head.

_Ginny. Now…appear!...become!...Whakchikaboom!_ Axel tried.

_WHAT IN THE NAME OF HELL DO YOU THINK THAT I AM?_ 'Ginny' demanded.

Axel winced and stuck his pinky in his ear. This wasn't going as expected…

Eon's eyes were shut tight.

_Okay…come on…we REALLY need you right now, Shiruba!_ She begged.

_Is that so…looks like my time t' shine!_ The hound growled in her head. _All right, just call m' name and concentrate. Simple as that, squirt._ She explained.

"O-okay." Eon muttered, ignoring the 'squirt' comment, and opening her eyes, only to see all of the Epitaph users giving her an odd look.

"You…okay…?" Haseo asked, but was silenced with roundhouse kick; courtesy of Eon.

She shut her eyes tight again.

"Okay… come on…" She mumbled to herself. She could now hear the galloping steps of the charging beast, even though it was in thin air.

"Come on…" She muttered again, picturing the large, silver dog.

"It's time…!" Eon growled, opening her eyes and extending her arms away from her body.

"_SHIRUBA!_"

Crimson symbols surrounded Eon's body as she called the name of her 'Guardian'. Triangles facing downwards appeared in the middle of her forehead, shoulders and knees. A large diamond, the mark of infinity cut out in the middle, appeared on her stomach, and on her wings appeared a series of long, thin diamonds; triangles at the feather tips.

The symbols shined brightly, and within another instant, disappeared completely as Eon was hoisted into the air, Shiruba materialized behind her.

This was the first time that she could actually _see_ the dog clearly. Most of the fur was silver, but on the top of the head, all the way down her neck to her mid-back was a flame coloured mane. Her eyes were gold, like Eon's PC body's, and she had two large, dark silver wings plastered into her back. There were five navy stripes on her back, all under her wings, and seven long, thin tails, blue flames sprouting from the tips of each. A thick golden collar of spikes circled her neck, apparently attached right to her skin. Her shoulders had the same navy as the stripes, only in a diamond shape, and long claws grew from each cyan-coloured paw. Above each paw was a tuft of red fur, the same type that composed her mane. Her stomach, lower neck and muzzle were all navy blue.

Eon floated there, dazed at the appearance of her _Guardian_, but not nearly as much as the Epitaph Users below.

Haseo starred in disbelief. Was _this_ an Avatar? It looked too…too different to be one. It was like a monster from the 'The World'; just one that he'd never seen before. He turned to the others, all wearing a similar expression. Haseo looked to his side, to see the black-haired player now beating his head continuously and yelling things to thin air, and the blonde lying on his stomach, looking positively green.

Did all of those characters have that ability…?

-Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore-

Yata crossed his arms as he watched the monitor calmly. So _this_ was what Aura created…? How interesting…

His gaze shifted to the one with a lightning bolt tattoo through their eye; yelling and screaming at nothing. It seemed that there was more to this than it appeared.

A small, interested grin appeared on Yata's lips. Just when 'The World' seemed to be figured out, Aura had yet again, reset that thought, and made yet another creation.

This game seemed to get more interesting every day…

* * *

So…what did you think…? I personally liked using Axel in this chapter, (Thank you Miffin!) his…weirdness…made it all the funnier…no?

Again, Please R & R! After next chapter, I'll be able to add even more humour! W00T!


	5. Guild

Okay, three disclaimers in a row. This must be a miracle… .Hack/G.U. and all of its characters don't belong to me.  
Axel and Hikaru belong to Miffin/Pudding Fiend; as do Ginny and Aurum, which I forgot to disclaim last chapter…_ DON'T HURT ME MIFFIN!_

Eon and Shiruba both belong to me, so don't take them without permission.

The words 'whoobles' and 'puko' belong to me (Though not copyrighted…). The word 'fizzle' also is used, meaning a bunch of scribbled lines above the character's head.

It also seems that my earlier chapters were not _clear_. I never _said_ Axel, Eon and Hikaru had _Avatars_, now did I? I _said_, which is where people may have become confused, that Haseo and the _real_ Epitaph Users _THOUGHT_ that they had Avatars. I ALSO know that I called them Guardians, last chapter as well. So now, please understand that there ARE ONLY EIGHT AVATARS IN THIS STORY. Ginny, Aurum, Shiruba, and the final two, which will only be introduced way later, are not actual Avatars. To understand this fic perfectly, you need to read the whole thing. Whether that makes you wish to discontinue reading this fic or not, is solely up to you.

(Also, I'm _trying_ to get the characters to stop sounding like a 'Mary Sues'…so please bare with me until I _do_ get a chance to do so. Thank you.)

So…onto the story!

**

* * *

Chapter 5: Guild**

* * *

Eon starred at the AIDA before her, horrified as it charged towards her at full speed.

"Heh…" Shiruba murmured, licking her lips. "Looks like that ol' goat, Capricorn, decided to take me on…" She said, tightening her shoulders in a ready position.

"Um…wha-?" Eon mumbled, but Shiruba answered the question for her.

"You don't do anythin'." She said, not turning to face her. "You just float there, when I get hit, take _my_ damage." She explained.

Eon felt like someone had just kicked her in the stomach.

"I…I take _your _damage?" She questioned.

"What…? You deaf too?" Shiruba growled. "_You_ take _my_ damage. I fight; you sacrifice yourself to summon me." The giant beast explained. "It's that simple."

"_Simple?_" Eon demanded, but Shiruba had already dismissed her and began to charge at the AIDA beast.

How could this be happening…?

"I _said_ it's _GINNY!_" Axel yelled, smacking his head with his fists hard.

_HELL NO! I WILL NOT ANSWER TO THAT NAME!_ The enraged dragon screamed.

"_OW!_" Axel yelled, before swearing loudly. "Don't need to blow my head apart, worse than it already is!"

"Um…are you all right…?" Atoli asked the Twin Blade.

"All right? I'm _perfectly_ all right! There's just a _giant dragon yelling at me in my HEAD!_" Axel explained angrily.

_Damn straight._ Ginny murmured.

Atoli starred at Axel, unsure of suggesting that he see professional help or to keep quiet. Something like this wasn't…normal…

"Do you think that I'm crazy?" Axel asked her suddenly, starring at her seriously.

"I—no! Heavens, no!" Atoli lied.

"You're lying." Axel said, looking at her hard. "You think that I'm crazy, don't you?" He demanded.

"I—I…I think that you're…interesting…" She mumbled.

"I _knew_ it! You _do_ think that I'm crazy!" Axel shouted, pointing at the Harvest Cleric, before grinning manically. "That's good then; 'cause I am crazy. 3"

Atoli starred at him in horror, quickly retreating back to Haseo and the others, hearing him laugh, as if crazed, the whole way.

"Idiot." Haseo mumbled as Atoli moved next to him and hugged onto his arm for comfort.

"He said that he was _crazy_!" She complained, hugging on tighter.

"He's just a brat that wants attention._ Don't _pay any attention to him, Atoli." Haseo explained, turning back to the fight. The monstrous canine had just collided head first into the AIDA and bit onto its neck hard. The AIDA recoiled before stretching its head around and sticking its horn into the dog's cheek. Haseo expected the dog to cry out in pain, but instead was shocked to hear Eon cry out instead as a long, red gash appeared across her cheek, extending along her neck.

"Wha…?"

Pi flinched and looked away. Obviously _these_ Avatars were not as kind as the Phases. To injure the player, even within the game? This was unbelievable…

Eon rubbed her left cheek, surprised to see blood. Was this _really_ 'The World'? Shiruba slammed into the beast hard again, quickly withdrawing as it attempted to stick her with its horn again.

"Gotta be faster than that, Capricorn!" The beast taunted, and like a cheat code, the AIDA stopped moving instantly. "Check mate." The dog mused as her long, light blue claws burst into flames and slashed into the beast hard.

Eon felt all of her energy drain as the fire erupted from Shiruba's paws. It was like she was drawing her power into the attack. How was this even possible, for a game…? She felt sick, suddenly; the piercing scream of the AIDA monster did not help with the nausea. She could hear the beast laugh as she raised her large, dark-silver wings; six large, crimson pillars appearing before her body, with light silver and green hexagons floating around them. Eon clenched her eyes shut as she heard the words, "Data Drain!" before feeling a sucking motion that made her stomach do back flips. As soon as the spinning and sucking stopped, Eon peeked through a crack in her eyes. The room was regaining its normal, Beast Statue appearance, and the giant silver dog, Shiruba, was quickly fading away into nothing.

"You did good, brat." The mutt mused, before vanishing completely and dropping Eon to the ground quickly. She landed on her feet, but quickly fell over, her body drained from exhaustion. Slowly, she somehow found the strength to get back up and start for her friends.

"Looks like it's over." Haseo murmured to himself, turning to Pi, Atoli and Endrance.

"What about the players…?" Pi asked, noticing that the blonde, Hikaru, was now getting up with the help of Axel, and Eon was slowly wobbling towards them unsteadily; the gash from previously gone was, as if it was never there.

"That's up to them." Haseo decided, even though it really wasn't his say. "I'm not going to 'shadow' them or anything else. If he wants something like that done, make Yata get his Macabre butt out here and do it himself." He explained, then stalked towards the Warp Panel, and Warped, Atoli and Endrance right behind him.

Pi sighed, but knew that Haseo we right.

_This is it for the day._ She thought, walking over to the Warp Panel, and leaving to Mac Anu as well.

Axel let Hikaru lean on him, even though they were back to the normal, 'The World'.

"So…now what…?" He asked, noticing Eon. "That was pretty cool!" He exclaimed, but Eon's PC body stopped moving.

Eon threw off the M2D from her eyes and quickly pushed herself from her desk, before leaning over and vomiting into the garbage can next to her.

_Okay…_ She thought, panting. _Maybe it's time to rethink that whole, saving 'The World' thing…_ She told herself, slowly sliding on the M2D once more.

She stood up, ignoring the two of them, and headed to the Warp Panel as well, transferring to Mac Anu. She then saved at the Save Shop before logging out, and throwing herself onto her bed like a sack of potatoes.

"Well, how rude. :o" Axel huffed, putting his hands on his hips. "Oh well…c'mon Hikki! Let's go and fill my quota!" He chirped cheerfully, and the two of them left the dungeon as well.

-Offline: Misaki Residence-

_Well…that was…interesting…_ Ryou thought, lying on his bed, starring at the ceiling. He rolled over to his side; arms behind his neck. _After a performance like that, Yata'll want more information on those kids…_ Ryou told himself silently, frowning. Just what _was_ happening in 'The World'? He was sure that there were only _eight_ fazes, but there was another…Avatar-_like_ monster summoned as well. Was it really an Avatar? Or something hacked…? Ryou could not help but wonder, until he heard the familiar '_fwuum!_' from his desktop; he had mail.

He sighed irritably, before getting up and walking over to his M2D. He picked it up, as well as the controller, and put it on, over his eyes. He quickly flipped right for 'The World', to his E-mail, and opened it.

_One New Message_

Ryou blinked tiredly, before looking at the title, and sender.

_Title: _A game of Hide and Seek  
_Sender:_ Axel

It took a few moments to connect that the sender was one of the kids that were just with him today…the black haired one…?

Ryou sighed again, before opening the E-mail.

"Yo, Whitey-Chan! Axel here; one of the guys that you tried to save, but failed miserably…HA! IN YOUR FACE! YOU LOST BAAAD! YOU GOT SHOWN UP BY A LITTLE GIRL! _NYAAAA! 83_

Anyways, Hikki and I decided that you should come on a quest with us, since Eon hasn't responded to any E-mails yet. _SO DON'T BE LATE, OR HIKKI'LL USE HIS Ultra-Super-Mega-High Voltage-Not For Rent-Hyper-Giant-Zooming-Banana Flavoured-Awesome-Booming-Defeating-Indistructible-Peircing-Shiny-Uber-Duber- One of a Kind-Unstoppable- Death-Bear Beam!_

We'll meet at Breg Epona's Quest Shop and four tomorrow. Toddles!"

Ryou stared at the E-mail for a long moment.

"He used _two_ lines of some…_attack_!" He exclaimed, amazed. Ryou then looked at his clock.

1:28 AM

Who was this guy, to send an E-mail _this_ late? With a small grunt, he climbed back into his bed.

_Might as well be ABLE to wake up tomorrow…_ He thought bitterly, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

-Dual City: Breg Epona-

"All right." Eon muttered to herself, taking a deep breath, and standing just in front of the Chaos Gate of Breg Epona. "Today is the day…" She said quietly. "The day…_THAT I GET MY REVENGE!_" She announced, all of the nearby players stopping in mid-speech just to look at her. Eon glared back at all of them, who quickly left the general area, and then teleported to Sigma, Returning Disappointment End of Dreams.

Pi warped from the Chaos Gate into Breg Epona. She brushed her long, pink hair for a moment until over-hearing a few nearby players giggling about some town gossip. She strode over to them, making sure to use her PC body's whole appeal.

"What seems to be so funny, boys?" She asked, voice as sexy as possible.

The Beastman turned to her, pink appearing on his snout and cheeks.

"O-oh, n-nothing much. Just talking about the stupid N00b that keeps on teleporting to an area too high for 'em." He answered, his Human friend nodding and chuckling.

"The brat keeps on teleporting back every two minutes!" He explained as the both of them pointed behind her, just to start laughing hysterically.

Pi turned, only to see Eon teleport from the Chaos Gate back into Breg Epona; three big, red, pulsing veins one her head. A large sweatdop appeared on the back of Pi's head as she approached the little dog-girl.

"Um, hello…" She greeted, but Eon just stuck her hand out and silencing her and transported back to Sigma, Returning Disappointment End of Dreams. Pi stared at the Chaos Gate for a few moments, confused until another blue spiral appeared. It was Eon again, this time with four large anger marks.

Pi sweatdropped again.

"D-don't tell me that you're _really_ teleporting to an area too high for your current level..."

"No." Eon answered. "I am merely dying on purpose, over and over again, to see if it will create a time-space portal to the Lost Ground." She said sarcastically, and teleported again.

Less than two minutes later she appeared again, looking ticked off beyond reasoning.

"You know, you should _really_ level up before going there." Pi attempted to reason with her.

"I _am_ levelled up!" Eon argued. "Level seventeen to be exact!" She yelled, before transferring again.

Pi only starred off after her. This was something that she _did not _see coming today…

Haseo stood in front of the Quest Shop in Breg Epona impatiently. It _seemed_ that he had the worst of luck with people that called _him_ to go Adventuring. He was told to be here at _four O'clock_! It was already _four fifty five!_ Haseo grunted irritably and glared at all that dared to pass him, all of who which were reduced to snivelling wrecks under the enraged gaze of the 'Terror of Death'.

"Where _are_ they?" he demanded when a familiar, annoying voice yelled "_Hey!"_

Haseo turned to the Twin Blade running his way; the large, white armoured Lord Partizan sauntering after her.

"Wow, Whitey-chan! You're early!" She mused.

"_EARLY?_" Haseo yelled, making more players run for cover. "You are _fifty five_ minutes late!" He snarled, pointing to his wrist as if there was a watch there.

Axel blinked, his character looking up thought before suddenly making an 'Oh!' look.

"Wow, time sure flies, doesn't it, Hikki?" He asked his larger friend, who nodded slowly; no emotion showing whatsoever, as always. "Well, any whoobles. Let's go on the Quest, Whitey-chan! :3" Axel purred excitedly.

"Stop calling me that!" Haseo yelled angrily as he approached the Quest Shop at long last. He paused. "I need you in my party first." He reminded them.

"Oh yeah! Here, sir grumpy." Axel said cheerfully as he gave Haseo his Member's Address, Hikaru doing the same.

Haseo added them to his party and quickly scanned over the paper with all of the quests and _finally_ selected '_a game of hide and seek'_ from the list.

"Do you wish to take this quest…? Very well." The NPC said robotically, Haseo not even paying attention to it as it called the Vital Vista of which this quest was for…now that he thought of it, who _was _the NPC? He never even read the requirements of this quest! Smooth…

Eon collapsed on to her butt after being sent back to Breg Epona for the _twenty third_ time, after dying in Sigma, Returning Disappointment End of Dreams yet again. A large fizzle appeared over the pup's head as she stared at the gondola moving around the city. She sighed irritably as Pi approached her yet again, obviously about to ask her to stop such a 'foolish' thing. Wow, like she didn't notice that by now…

Seventeen times. That was the number of times that she had seen Eon teleport back to Breg Epona, no doubt after dying. Pi extended her hand, thinking carefully about her next words.

"Why do you insist on going there…?" She asked Eon, looking down at her.

"'Cause, I do." Eon lied easily.

"That's not an answer." Pi stated calmly.

"And _that_ is why it's none of your bee's wax, Pee." Eon hissed angrily.

Pi sighed irritably.

"My name is _Pi_." She corrected. "And as for _why_ I want to know, going to an area and dying seventeen times is not normal for any player to do." She explained.

"Twenty three." Eon corrected, ears flattening against her head angrily.

Pi choked in the real world for a moment, but quickly corrected herself.

"Twenty three times then." She said, "So what is so important about that area?"

Eon looked up to the Admin, boredom in her expression.

"What if I told you that there was no reason?" She asked.

"Then I wouldn't believe you." Pi answered easily.

"And if I said that a voice in my head told me to…?" Eon asked again.

"Then I'd think that you are crazy." Pi answered without thinking, though the expression on Eon's face told her that she just made a _big_ mistake…

Dr. Kubo walked towards Haseo, his long arms waving back and forth with every step.

"Hello there, adventurers! My name is Dr. Kubo!" he stated, though there was no voice to go with his greeting; only a small 'hrum'.

"I am a scientist that studies the cultivation of Chim Chim's." He explained, Haseo already losing interest in the Vital Vista.

"Just last week I was exploring a field in search of new ways to cultivate my precious little Chim Chims. That was when I found _it!_" The doctor exclaimed, waving his long arms above his head.

"There was a brand new Chim Chim that I have never seen before on the field! White with a beard, and tall as a King Chim Chim!"

Axel gasped overenthusiastically, Hikaru attempting to do the same, but his robot-like voice did not help.

"But when I approached it, the Chim Chim disappeared before I could collect any data on it. That is where you adventurers come in!" Dr. Kubo explained. "I want you to take this Chim Sphere, and collect data on the new type of Chim Chim! The area words provided should help you find it more easily." He explained, before turning around and leaving the three of them.

Haseo sighed, putting his hand on his forehead tiredly. Not _another_ Chim Chim Quest…

"All right, let's go." Haseo announced as Axel started to bounce up and down uncontrollably.

"Yeah let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's-go-let's-go-let's-go-let's-go-let's-_GO_! 8D"He yelled cheerfully, dashing off to the elevator before the other two could even say a thing.

"No…come back Axel…" Hikaru said quietly, slowly walking after him.

A sweatdrop appeared on the back of Haseo's head as he watched the two; Polar Opposites. With another small sigh, he followed after the two of them, onto the elevator, though he easily passed Hikaru on the way.

"So, you think that I'm crazy." Eon demanded angrily.

"I—no! I didn't mean—" Pi tried.

"'Didn't mean'?" Eon yelled. "You just _said_ it! You think that I _am_ crazy!"

"_No!_" Pi attempted to reason. "I _didn't_ mean that!"

"Then what _did_ you mean? You said that you'd think I was crazy if a voice in my head told me to. Well it did. Happy now, pinky?" Eon demanded.

"_NO!_ I _didn't_ mean it. What do you mean 'a voice in your head'?" Pi asked desperately.

Eon stood up angrily, hands tight to her sides and rolled into fists.

"That _a voice, in my HEAD, TOLD me to!_" Eon screamed.

All of the adventures that were teleporting into Breg Epona or who were leaving to go on an adventure via the Chaos Gate retreated immediately as soon as they heard the fighting. It looked as if it were going to turn to violence at this rate…

"_How_ did a voice tell you that?" Pi demanded.

"Simple, it _just did_." Eon responded.

"Then what _was_ this voice? _Are_ you crazy?" Pi asked, glaring down at Eon.

"_Why_ would _I_ be crazy? That would be stealing Axel's job! Stupid Shiruba told me to get stronger!" Eon explained.

Pi was silent for a moment. This voice had a _name_? She shook her head quickly to clear it.

"'Axel's job'?" She asked.

"Yes, _Axel_. The black-haired, idiot Twin Blade that you were with _yesterday_." Eon explained.

"She's crazy?" Pi asked.

"_He_ is crazy. Proud of it too." Eon answered.

Pi starred at Eon oddly. 'He' was _proud_ of being crazy? Was that even possible?

"If you're thinking that it's impossible, then I suggest you go and ask him yourself. He'll happily agree with me." Eon sniffed, slowly calming down.

Pi slowly nodded, though didn't intend to ask such a foolish question to someone that she didn't know anything about.

"All right then…then who is this 'Shiruba'…?" Pi asked.

"I dunno _what_ she is…but she's in my head when I'm in 'The World'." Eon explained.

"In 'your head'?" Pi questioned.

"I_ just_ said that, pinky. Shiruba is _in my head here._" Eon repeated.

"How is it possible that you hear voices only in 'The World'?" Pi asked sceptically.

"You tell me that, Pinky." Eon said, giving Pi a positively flat look.

Pi sighed and put her hand onto her forehead. Today was just becoming worse and worse for her…

"All right… so you hear voices…here…" Pi started, Eon still giving her the same flat look. "When did you start hearing it?" She asked, as if she were a psychologist.

"Yesterday, when Shiruba first combined with me." Eon stated bluntly without thinking. Her eyes widened and she quickly covering her mouth when she realised what she just said.

"'Combined'? You mean that your voice is that…_thing_?"

_THING? I'll show you THING, pinky! Wanna go, HUH? _ Shiruba demanded, making Eon flinch.

"Yes, and you just made her mad." Eon murmured, holding her head to stop the pounding of the beast's voice.

"Made her mad…?" Pi muttered to herself, crossing her arms and thinking of the possibilities. "You mean to say that it has _emotions…_?" She asked.

"I would presume so, Captain Obvious." Eon answered.

Pi slowly shook her head. How…interesting…

_All right, brat. You're gettin' nowhere talking to this hag, so move it on down to Mac Anu. At least THERE, you can get some training in._ The beast snarled impatiently.

"Why do you get to make that choice?" Eon asked Shiruba, making Pi look at her strangely; she ignored it.

'_Cause, I'm bigger than you, stronger than you, and I doubt that you want t' hurl again after my next summon._ She explained.

"_That_ was because you didn't explain that it would be like that! What if I don't call you again? Huh?" She demanded.

There was a short silence before Shiruba answered more seriously.

_Do you really think that you can fight those things the way that you are? YOU are nothing. The same thing goes for the other Guardian Masters. You are nothing without us, but we can function even without your support; we only need to be aware of the possible threat of deletion._ Shiruba finally answered coldly.

"'Deletion'?" Eon asked.

_Yes. With a Guardian Master, Guardians suffer way less damage than when working alone._ She explained. _Deletion of us is less likely, and comatose condition is less likely for the Master. _

"Guardian, huh…" Eon muttered, before looking up at Pi. "What is your big monster-thing called?" Eon asked.

Pi looked surprised. She pursed her lips and paused, thinking it over before finally answering.

"Tarvos: The Avenger." She said.

"I didn't mean that. What _is_ it called?" The little beastman explained more clearly.

"It's name…? An Avatar…" She said slowly.

"Is that so…" Eon murmured. "Looks like we don't have the same thing. Shiruba says that she's a 'Guardian', and that I'm a 'Guardian Master'."

Pi narrowed her eyes a bit in confusion.

"It told you that…? It can communicate with you?"

"Yeah. I already said that _five_ minutes ago." Eon answered easily. "So now that this is clear for both of us, I need to be on my way to Mac Anu." With that she turned to the Chaos Gate.

Pi starred at her for a moment. _Guardian Masters…?_ She thought, then quickly fumbled around her inventory.

"Wait," She said urgently, Eon looking over her shoulder at the Admin. "Here." Pi said, holding out a Guild Key. "This Key will let you into our Guild, Raven." Pi explained, offering it to her.

The little Guardian Master looked at the key distastefully. She really did _not_ like Guilds…

"I'm not the Guild type." She growled coldly.

"I am not asking you to join Raven." Pi explained, still holding the Key out. "This will let you _in_ to Raven. Our Guild Master, Master Yata, would not refuse your assistance." She explained.

"'Assistance'? In what?"

Pi hesitated.

"I cannot tell you about Raven unless you are to come and see for yourself." She explained. "That is how our Guild works."

"Sounds boring _and_ a lot of work." Eon said blandly, but took the Key anyway. "I will _think_ of visiting. I already told you, I don't like Guilds." She stated, before warping to The Eternal City: Mac Anu.

Pi starred off after Eon, slowly crossing her arms in thought.

"I hope that this is okay with Master Yata…" She said quietly to herself, and Logged Out. That was enough 'excitement' for one day…

-Sigma Ruined Smashed BBQ Plate-

"Let's-go-let's-go-let's-go-let's-go-let's-go! 83" Axel repeated, running a good ten paces ahead of the group. Haseo was about ready to throttle him.

First, she makes him wait _fifty five_ minutes later than when _she_ scheduled. _Then_ she starts to go on some rant about how Chim Chim's are evil and must be destroyed the moment that they teleport to the area; and _now_ she hasn't given them a moment's silence for the past twenty minutes! (You would be surprised at the size of the Field that Dr. Kubo gave them; triple the size of a normal Field…)

"_ENOUGH!_" Haseo yelled, Axel slowly turning and looking at him innocently.

"Enough what, Whitey-chan…?" he asked.

"'_Enough what'_?" Haseo bellowed angrily. "You have _not_ SHUT UP for one _minute_ since we arrived here! Just _shut your yap, and find that Chim!"_

"Ohhh…" Axel said thoughtfully. "You're hinting for me to be quiet! ^ ^" She exclaimed.

Haseo let out a furious scream.

"_I. AM. NOT. HINTING!_" The Adept Rogue breathed, about to attack his party mate.

"Oh…so you want me to be quiet…" Axel muttered, crossing his arms and nodding as if he knew the entire time…which he did… "If you wanted that, then why didn't you say so, Whitey-chan?" He asked cheerfully. "If you will hide with Hikki and me behind that hill over there, then I'll shut up." He explained.

"All right!" Haseo agreed instantly and followed the two of them behind a nearby hill. Why did she want to hide though…?

The answer came in the form of a level one hundred and fifteen Beastman, along with his party of a harvest Cleric human, and an Edge Punisher Beastman, he himself being a Steam Gunner.

Axel did keep his promise to be quiet…but only until his prey had waltzed right into his ambush.

"BUNZAI!" He screamed before sneak-attacking the trio.

"What?" The Steam Gunner yelled, but it was too late for him as Axel used Chaotic Strike on him.

He laughed, crazed as he dashed towards the Harvest Cleric, who was now trying to resurrect his fallen comrade. The Edge Punisher tried to get in his way, but he easily dodged the slow Beastman and stabbed him with his high-levelled Twin Blade, following up by throwing the other one at Cleric and catching him in neck. He went down instantly.

Axel laughed manically as the three of them fell at his feet and slowly disappeared into nothingness.

"That was fun…" He muttered, licking his lips and turning to Haseo. "So, shall we find the Chim now…?" he asked.

Haseo was speechless.

"_You_ just willing PKed three payer, _right_ in front of a famous PKK?" He asked.

"Yeah, so?" He asked, retrieving the Twin Blade that he threw. "Let's go already! I need to fill my quota!" He explained.

"_QUOTA?_" Haseo demanded. "You are _killing_ players to fill a _quota_?"

"Yeah, now let's _go_!" Axel yelled, but Haseo did not budge, and instead, pulled out his Scythe.

"Do you _really_ think that you can get away with that?" he demanded.

Axel sighed exasperatedly.

"You PKK's and your sense of honour and good will…sheesh…" he muttered, holding up his arms in a lazy shrug and shaking his head from side to side. "What will you gain from killing lil' ol' me?" He asked before making a cross with his two index and middle fingers. There was a loud 'poof' and a bunch of smoke surrounded Axel. After clearing out it revealed her younger form with a large Chim Chim backpack.

Haseo starred at him. It was like she _wanted_ to be PKKed!

"Do you _have_ a death wish, or are you just stupid?" He demanded.

The little Axel looked up at him and sighed.

"You would _really_ hurt a little girl?" He asked.

"Hell yeah." Haseo answered as he slowly approached the tiny Twin Blade.

Axel's eyes suddenly welled up to twice their normal size, and he stood there, cowering from the 'Terror of Death'.

"Nooo!" He yelled like a little girl.

Haseo just starred at him. What was he trying to pull? He lifted his scythe, ready to attack, but suddenly was unable to move it.

"Huh…?" Haseo turned to see Hikaru holding the scythe in place.

"How rude." He said calmly. "Do not attack little girls. Fore. Shame." He stated almost robotically. Haseo only stared at him before hearing a rustling sound behind him. He turned his head, only to see the little Axel removing the backpack. _What…?_

Axel glared up at Haseo.

"You're mean! You need to die!" He announced, holding up the backpack as if about to hit him with it.

"Oh, and what are you going to do with that? Beat me with it? Make me _laugh_ to death?" Haseo demanded, juuuuuust before Axel pulled out the hilt of a long machete.

"No, I'll stab you over and over and over with this." He stated, holding a machete easily _twice_ as long as the Chim Chim bag. How did it even _fit_?

Haseo struggled to get his scythe back, but Hikaru was much stronger and held it back easily.

"Bye bye, Whitey-chan!" Axel s chirped, his childish voice almost demonic. He was about to stab Haseo when Hikaru intervened.

"No, Axel." He said calmly. "We need him to finish the quest." The Lord Partizan explained calmly.

Axel sighed irritably and thrust the weapon back into the bag.

"Fine, Hikki…" He murmured, glaring at Haseo. "Be thankful that we need you!" He exclaimed, pointing at his eyes with his index and middle finger, and at Haseo and back; meaning 'I'm watching you…'

Haseo could only stare at him. How could this day get any…_weirder_?

"There it is!" Axel announced, pointing at the ocean.

"What…?" Haseo asked, looking in his annoying companion's line of view. "I don't see anything."

"Well _duh_!" Axel said, touching his forehead as if Haseo was a complete numbskull. "_That's_ because the God Chim Chim in _this_ quest only appears if you kick the Nue!" He said, pointing at the small lucky animal across a long bridge on another island.

Haseo glared at Axel. How was _he_ supposed to know that? Nue normally called King Chim Chim's! Not 'God's'!

"Fine, whatever." Haseo said dryly, turning towards the bridge, but Axel and Hikaru didn't follow. He turned to glare at them. "_What_ are you waiting for?" he demanded.

"Did you not read the B-B-S?" Hikaru asked.

"Why would I when I was busy waiting for _you_ to show up?" The Terror of Death growled.

"Well, there's a post for this quest. Said that there is a strong monster across the bridge." Axel explained.

"And _your point_?" Haseo asked impatiently. "We _are_ at a high level, are we not?"

"Yes, but even if this area is at a lower level than our party, the monster is the average level of all of our levels." Hikaru explained monotonously.

"What…?" Haseo asked quietly, before swearing. This was when he had wished that he really _did_ read the BBS…

"So…let's go Whitey-chan! 8D" Axel suddenly announced, racing past Haseo and Hikaru and onto the bridge. "C'mon slowpokes!" He yelled.

Haseo fizzled. First, they stop him to warn him about a monster, _then_ she goes and charges in? What was wrong with her?

"Let us go." Hikaru "cheered" (if it could be considered such a thing) slowly, before trotting onto the bridge like a lumbering bear.

Haseo sighed. Why did he have a bad feeling about this? Maybe it was because he couldn't trust the idiot PKer in his party…or perhaps the Lord Partizan seemed too slow to be able to get an attack in…? Either way, he knew this would not end well…

Haseo gapped at the size of the monster that they had to defeat. _How _could CC Corp. make such a beast? It was covered in black fur, a large mussel around its mouth, leading down to its chest. There was a large, red mane of fur around its head, and two pointed, black ears on the top of its head. The monster stood on two legs, arms hanging to the ground below it, making it lean over in a hunch. The yellow eyes seemed to glow as it sensed their presence, and it began to drool. The overall size of the beast? About one and a half feet…

"_What_ is that?" Haseo demanded.

"A Devil's Servant" Axel said cheerfully. "Ready to fight, Whitey-chan?" he asked.

"To fight _that_?" Haseo asked, staring down at it. "I'd step on it before it even got a swing in!" he complained.

"All the better then!" Axel yelled cheerfully.

"Yes, but I would advise that you use magic, White-y-chan." Hikaru said calmly, stepping towards the beast and beginning an Outbreak of Battle.

A large, flaming blue barrier surrounded the three of them and the 'Devil's Servant,' as it was apparently called. Haseo grinned. This would be simple! Right…?

The beast roared loudly…though it sounded more like a cute growl considering its size, and it charged at Haseo. The Rogue merely stood there and let it hit him with one of its overly large paws.

Haseo: -2 HP

"Oh, ouch." Haseo chuckled sarcastically, then kicked the beast as if it were a Chim.

Axel and Hikaru starred at Haseo in horror as the beast went flying.

"You just doomed us all… D8;;;" Axel said slowly, pointing at Haseo.

Haseo only starred at Axel sceptically. "_I_ just doomed us all?" He asked, motioning where the beast was now lying. Hikaru and Axel both nodded, the two of them pointing back at the black monster slowly. Haseo only sighed as he turned his head towards the beast. It stirred, and slowly got back up onto its feet. It let out a small and angry growl before glaring at Haseo, its yellow eyes glowing brightly.

The monster threw out its arms and roared angrily, this time sounding like a real, terrifying roar instead of a growl. Haseo couldn't help but stare at the beast in shock. What was happening? Fire engulfed the monster completely, and it suddenly grew in size tenfold.

The now giant Devil's Servant glared down at Haseo. Its yellow eyes were now slit with red pupils in the center. It screamed furiously and threw its arm down at a surprisingly fast rate. Haseo managed to dive out of the way, _just_ in time before it slammed its fist into the ground. He sighed thankfully, but the Devil was not done yet; it quickly flung the arm back up, rocks coming with it, and backhanded Haseo right in the stomach, sending him flying into the barrier.

Haseo: -2315 HP

Haseo starred at his status bar for a moment in shock. _That _much damage from _one_ attack? He quickly looked up at the devil's Servant as it raced towards him, its little legs taking extremely fast steps. He closed his eyes as the monster slammed its fist down one more time, killing him.

_Damn…_ He thought, angry at himself. _How could this HAPPEN! _He was prepared to appear in Breg Epona any moment now. With Axel only reciting a long chain of swears (some from languages he'd never even heard of before), he was sure that their party was a goner.

There was a pause as his character fell to the ground and disappeared in a flash of grey and orange light. He cursed silently at his desk in the real world. _This_ was what they meant by a 'strong monster'… Something that could one-shot even The Terror of Death.

There was a sound of a droplet of water, and Haseo's PC Body reappeared, revived. He blinked in surprise, only to see Hikaru holding up his arm.

"Do not waste it." He said calmly before rushing towards the boss…if you could call a slight jog rushing…

Haseo didn't intend to waste it though. Lesson learned, he dashed towards the monster using the circle button's new hacked dash feature and quickly whipped out his twin guns. In less than a second he activated the Technique 'Justice'. He shot at the monster continuously, but the Devil's Servant seemed to just laugh as the amount of damage was at a minimum of three hit points each. He swore as he released the Double Trigger, but there was no change in damage; the monster still took only a tiny amount. Jumping back to reload his guns, Haseo watched Axel pass him on the way. The Twin Blade didn't seem to be attacking though. She stopped in mid run and whipped out a spell card and used Vak Don.

A number of small meteors rained from the sky and collided with the monstrous Devil, making it fall over onto its back, stunned.

"What're ya waiting for?" Axel screamed as he flung himself at the beast and attacked it continuously with his Twin Blades. The attacks took off way more damage than before as the Devil's Servant waved its arms and legs around to try to push itself back up.

Hikaru slowly pulled out a _giant_ lance, probably even taller than his PC body, and slashed at the beast three times, taking off massive damage with each hit.

Haseo quickly finished reloading his guns and raced at the beast before shooting, taking off extra damage than he would if ranged. The monster screamed in agony before managing to push itself up with its overly large arms and swinging at the three of them, sending them into the barrier and taking off over one thousand Hit Points each.

The Terror of Death grunted as his hit points fell back to critical. Seeing as Axel and Hikaru weren't fairing too well themselves now, he quickly opened his inventory and used a Revive Storm, healing fifteen hundred Hit Points to each of them with his Boost Candle equipped. He then quickly reopened his menu and selected the spell Ani Zot and fired it at the beast without a second thought.

Just like before it fell over and onto his back, allowing them to attack it freely as it struggled to stand.

Axel laughed manically as he struck the monster continuously.

"_That's_ what you get for being so _big!_" He screamed as he used a Technique similar to Chaotic Strike, but bigger and a lot flashier.

The monster screamed furiously as Hikaru slashed at it as well, before finally pushing itself back up. Apparently noting this, Hikaru slowly opened an eye, then held up a spell card like Axel and used the earth attack, Gan Bolg.

The monster fell for the last time as Haseo finished it off with a Rengeki Justice and a Double Trigger Judgement. It let out a long moan, similar to that of a Heaven's Eater, before vanishing into nothingness.

The barrier quickly vanished as the party received:

3 Healing storms  
2 Earth Spikes  
30 GP

Haseo starred at the earnings pitifully.

"What kind of Boss gives you 30 GP?" He asked himself.

"That one." Axel answered simply and raced over to the Nue, kicking it as hard as he possibly could.

"You kick! You Kick! I call! I call!" The animal repeated cheerfully, then vanished in a loud 'poof'.

Like magic, a small, bearded Chim Chim appeared in a puff of smoke. It slowly began to waltz around the island, as if in no danger at all… but little did it know that Axel was walking about…

The said lunatic raced towards the tiny Chim before booting it right in the face twice. An exclamation mark appeared over its head and it grew a foot. With its newfound size, the Chim decided to get revenge and attempted to squash the nut. Axel dodged gracefully and kicked it twice more, and again it grew and attempted to smush him. Axel was now enjoying himself as he delivered the final kick, and the Chim finally reduced itself to its original size, defeated.

"Quite an unexpected feat. I will aid you." It said robotically before vanishing in a cloud of pink sparkles.

Haseo could only watch this display oddly. She seemed to like hurting things; just like another Blade Brandier that he knew… Cough, Bordeaux, Cough…

"So, we finished the quest, c'mon! Let's go, let's go, let's _go_!" Axel yelled impatiently, Hikaru sauntering towards him.

"Yes, let us go." He 'cheered' calmly, turning towards the blue Warp Panel to the left of them.

Haseo could only shrug as he followed the two. There was no point in sticking around here any longer than necessary…

-Dual City: Breg Epona: Quest Shop-

"Thank you very much, Adventurers." Dr. Kubo thanked voicelessly. "As a thank you, here is a gift for you!" he exclaimed as a long, cloaked arm reached towards Haseo and handed him ten Elven Drops.

Haseo took the gift wordlessly, though could sense that the black-haired idiot behind him wanted one from the seemingly burning stare at the back of his PC body's head.

"Now I can continue my research! Come and visit me in Mercenary district in Mac Anu any time!" The Vital Vista announced cheerfully, then waddled off.

"Here, you want some?" Haseo asked, but didn't wait for an answer. He dropped three of the Elven Drops into the Twin Blade's hands, then reached over to Hikaru and gave him three more, keeping the last four for himself. He earned it after the _insanity_ of this mission...

"_Hey_!" Axel whined. "Why do _you_ get four?" He demanded.

"Because, I do." Haseo said bluntly.

Axel pouted for a moment, then raced over to Hikaru and glomped him.

"All right Hikki, let's go and meet Eon before she fines me again." Axel told his armoured friend, who nodded his head in agreance.

"Fine you?" Haseo asked curiously. "I thought that she was your friend."

Axel stuck his tongue out at the Adept Rogue.

"She is, but that doesn't mean that she won't fine us for being late _again_." He answered.

Haseo scratched the back of his PC body's head.

"I…see…" He lied.

"Well, see you monkey-butt." Axel said, quickly racing/fleeing towards the elevator before Haseo could kill him.

"_M-monkey butt_?" Haseo screamed furiously, trying to keep himself from pulling out his guns and shooting him from there.

"Have a good day." Hikaru stated cheerfully, walking off after Axel.

Haseo swore for about the millionth time that day. How could those two stand to be around each other? They were _completely_ different!

He took a deep breath to calm down, then stepped towards the Quest Shop to regain his prize: a Text of Wisdom.

Oh wow, like he needed _another_ one of those…

-The Eternal City: Mac Anu: Alchemy District-

"You. Are. Late." Eon growled, slowly turning to Axel and Hikaru, who cowered under her glare. "Where. Were. You." She asked slowly, her gaze unfaltering.

"OnaquestwithHaseopleasedon'teatmeIdon'ttastegood!" Axel squealed quickly, making a cross with his fingers. He received a small whack to the head, courtesy of Eon.

"I'm fining you fifty thousand GP." Eon said bluntly, giving the two of them a flat look.

"_What?_ FIFTY THOUSAND? We only got thirty from the Devil's Servant!" He whined desperately.

"Yeah, and you were still late." Eon explained, holding out her hand for the money.

Axel sighed exasperatedly. He _knew_ this was a battle that he couldn't win…even if he _was_ one hundred levels higher than her… He gave her the fifty thousand before walking towards the railing overlooking the Ocean of Mac Anu. Leaning against it, he turned his green eyes up to sun.

"So, why'd you want us here today?" He asked, taking out a stick of pocky and munching on it in the real world.

"I got a Guild Key…" Eon murmured, making Axel turn to her amazed.

"You gonna join a _GUILD?_" He asked incredulously; even _Hikaru _was looking at her in surprise! "I thought that you _hated_ Guilds!"

"I do, numb-nut!" Eon hissed angrily. "I got it from that Pee person." She held up the Raven Key. "She said that 'all would be explained' if I went there." She explained, using her fingers in quotations.

"What's there to explain?" Axel asked, eating another pocky stick.

"What those monster were. Where they came from. What we are, they are, everything." The dog-girl murmured.

Axel swallowed the stick and slowly nodded.

"Oh, I guess so…" He murmured.

"Yes. I would like to know as well." Hikaru said quietly.

"So…" Eon mumbled. "Do you want to check it out? I can give you a Key so long as I have this one."

Axel finished his third pocky stick and licked his lips.

"Sure, but are you really going to join?" he asked.

"Probably not." Eon answered as she copied two more Raven Keys and distributed them.

"Then, shall we go…?" Hikaru asked quietly.

Axel and Eon nodded silently, and the three of them slowly headed towards the Warp Panel at the entrance of Alchemy District…

* * *

OH. MY. GOOOOOOOOD. It was coma splicing HEAVEN! _I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL I GET TO THE CHAPTERS MIFFIN STARTED EDITING! _This was AWEFUL! I ALSO had to kill about 25 "before"-s. There were STILL a lot after, but not enough to make me wanna kill myself. = =;; I hope this rewrite was a LOT better than before. A ton of words were misspelled or downright _wrong_, and I added and edited a few more things. So...yeah. I feel I made a biiiig improvement with this chapter just now. e ,e;;; Jya for now, I guess... Whee...


	6. Explanations

Disclaimer…again…

.hack//G.U. does not belong to me, nor will it _ever_. XP

Axel and Hikaru, as well as Ginny and Aurum are on loan from Miffin…I hope that she doesn't start charging…

Eon and Shiruba are mine. Do. Not. Take. Them… MINE!

Now, here is what many of you may have been waiting for. My explanation; hence the chapter title! (I am _SURE_ good at titles…_not_…)

There is a lot of Swearing in this chapter, no thanks to Shiruba and Ginny, so watch for that if you're like me, and don't like swears.

Note to how much thought that I _actually,_ accidentally put into this fic. Yes, _accidentally_. _I_ do not think up this stuff on purpose. It is a gift from the Maple Syrup Gods…or just an overactive tendency to pay attention to the most subtle things in a game…whatever it is though, enjoy Chapter six, and Please R and R at the end!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Explanations**

"It. Is. So. _WEIRD_!" Eon exclaimed, pointing at Wise Grunty with her index finger.

"Yeah, that's what I thought the first time that I saw Gao Grunty too…" Axel said, crossing his arms, and cocking his head to the side. "Though…this one is even weirder looking…" He muttered.

"Glasses." Hikaru agreed, before reaching towards the defenceless Grunty, and pulling off the specs, before putting them onto Eon's eyes.

She wobbled for a moment, before walking straight into the back wall of Raven.

"I can't _see_!" She exclaimed, as she spun around on the spot, and walked straight into Wise Grunty, which her PC body tripped over.

"How rude, nero!" Wise Grunty scolded, making Eon jump back.

"It talked!" She yelled in surprise, before bumping into Axel.

Axel reached down and pulled off the glasses from Eon's head calmly, before throwing them across the room, and towards the door.

"Fetch." He commanded, as Wise Grunty slowly walked towards his lost belonging. Axel turned to Eon, and nodded. "Yep, they talk too!" He explained. "I heard that all Grunties take the personality of their Guild Master, and act exactly like them."

"They also use a special word at the end of each sentence." Hikaru finished, Eon slowly nodding.

"I…see…" She muttered.

"Man, you really _haven't_ ever been to a Guild…" Axel said, grinning. "Considering how long you've played, I'd of thought that you'd at least been invited to _one_."

Eon held up her fist threateningly at Axel, who ducked his head and covered it with his arms, before slowly relaxing her arm again.

"I _was_ invited to a lot of Guilds." Eon explained. "I just chose to stay away from them."

"Why?" Axel asked.

"Because, I didn't want to be in them." She explained.

"Why?" Axel repeated.

"_Because_, I didn't _feel_ like it." Eon explained, catching on.

"Why—" Axel _attempted_ to ask, before receiving a hard kick to his gut. His PC body crippled over for a moment, before slowly standing back up. "That wasn't very nice!" He exclaimed, angrily.

"Is that so? Sue me." Eon said angrily, as she turned to look up the stairs, leading towards the Serpent of Lore. "So, is that where we need to go…?" She asked, pointing.

"I do not know." Hikaru said sadly.

"Yeah, Kestrel is a _lot_ different than _this_ dump." Axel explained. "It's _so_ big, that it has its own _area_!"

Eon nodded slowly.

"So…what do we do then…?" She asked, before hearing the door at the entrance of the Home open.

They all turned to see a familiar, white Adept Rogue walk in, leading two parties; one party of himself, a blue haired steam gunner, and a short, blonde Shadow Warlock, and the other of a blonde Harvest Cleric, a long-haired Blade Brandier, and Mrs. Pee.

"_Hi Pee!"_ Axel yelled cheerfully as Pi entered Raven beside Haseo.

A large, red, pulsing anger mark appeared on the back of her head, as she looked to Haseo and Kuhn, who were giving her a weird look.

"_What_ are you looking at…?" She questioned dangerously, as the two looked away instantly, and focused on the white wallpaper of the level one Guild; as if there was something interesting about it.

Atoli blinked at the three in confusion.

"Why are you here…?" She asked, before Yata slowly stepped out of the Serpent of Lore, and down the steps towards them.

"Hell of I know." Axel answered rudely, as he stretched his arms behind his head, and leaned back on the spot, before nearly falling over.

"I am glad that you could all come." Yata addressed calmly, as he slowly turned to the party of Guardian Masters. "It is a pleasure to meet you all, at last." He said, looking over the top of the rims of his orange glasses. "There are many things that I would like to talk about…"

"Whoa-ho-hoa!" Axel exclaimed suddenly, shooting his hands in front of himself, and holding them in a 'slow down' position. "Talk? About _what_, exactly? My mom always told me to never talk to strangers." He explained.

"And _that_ is why you kill them…?" Eon asked him with a flat look.

"Yes—_NO!_" Axel exclaimed, shaking a fist at her. "I only do that 'cause it's m' job!" He explained.

"_Really…_" Eon muttered, amused. "Could have fooled me." She said, with a shrug.

A large fizzle appeared over Axel's head, as he turned back to Yata.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asked.

Yata narrowed his eyes a bit, as he turned around, and started to head up the stairs, and back into the Serpent of Lore, silently; Haseo and the other Epitaph Users quickly following him.

"Well, that _sure_ answered the question, Mr. Mysterious." Axel said in a huff.

Eon sweatdropped.

"Well, at least we know that we go there now…" She reasoned, Hikaru nodding in agreement.

"Well fine then! We'll show him and go in too!" Axel announced; another sweatdrop appearing on Eon and Hikaru's heads.

"Axel, he _wants_ us to follow him." She attempted to reason.

"_LIES!_" The moronic Twin Blade announced, before dashing into the Serpent of Lore at great speed.

Both Eon and Hikaru sighed exasperatedly, before following him into the dark room.

-

The Serpent of Lore was completely black at first. Eon had trouble trying to see where she was, or if her PC body was going to bump into anything…if not, any_one_ else.

"Welcome," Yata started, "to the Serpent of Lore!" He announced, before a bright, blue flash filled the entire room.

Eon had to cover her eyes from the sudden brightness, before slowly opening them, to see hundreds of monitors, surrounding them to their sides and front. The only area without screens was the bright, white entrance to this 'mystical' room. She slowly turned to Axel, whose mouth was hanging open, wide enough to fit an entire apple in; and to Hikaru, who had even opened his PC body's eyes, to see the amazing sight.

"Dude…I think that died and went to shiny heaven…" Axel muttered, looking around at all of the screens, before noticing the large, green serpent, spiralling behind Yata. His eyes widened, before he became completely transfixed on the snake; slowly moving around and around and, yet again, around…

Eon looked to Haseo, and the other Epitaph Users, who seemed use to this spectacular room, with serious expressions plastered all over their PC body's faces.

"This is the Serpent of Lore." Yata repeated, slowly capturing Axel's attention again, as well as the other two's. "This is where operation G.U. is under place, and where all G.U. members report when called." He explained, flicking open his fan, before quickly shutting it. "We are all part of Operation G.U." Yata explained, "It is our job to rid 'The World' of AIDA, and other harmful AI's. Do you understand?" He questioned.

Eon nodded slowly, as did Hikaru, but Axel raised his hand in their air, as if in school, and began to hop around on the spot.

"Yes…?" Yata asked, raising an eyebrow, slightly amused.

"I thought that you were Raven. Not G.U. Wasn't G.U. a stupid drawing Guild…?" he asked.

"G.U. is our real name." Kuhn explained. "Raven is just a front. As for the actual Guild, G.U., yes, it is an animation Guild."

"Oh…I see." Axel said, nodding.

"How do you know so many Guilds?" Eon whispered, whiling eyeing Yata to make sure that he wasn't eavesdropping.

"Well, young grasshopper…I _have_ been around for a long time." Axel explained cheerfully.

Eon turned to him sceptically.

"You mean that you've PKed so many different characters, from so many Guilds, that you've memorized all of the decent ones?" She questioned with a flat look on her PC body's face.

Axel fidgeted for a moment, trying to come up with a come back, but only shrugged.

"Yep…" Eon muttered, looking back to Yata.

Yata's PC body starred at Eon unblinkingly, making her slowly shrink back away from him, silently.

"Having explained about our operation," Yata started again, looking at the three of them from the rims of his glasses. "I believe that it is only fair for you to explain about your own, unique powers…Am I wrong…?" He asked tactually.

The three unfortunate Guardian Masters shifted uncomfortably under the seven pairs of eyes on them.

_"What now?"_ Eon asked Axel, using the 'Party Chat' option.

_"How the hell am I supposed to know?!"_ He demanded back, though his character did not dare to move.

_"What do we say…?"_ Hikaru asked, a small crease appearing in his character's forehead.

_Well why don't ya tell em what they wanna know?!_ Shiruba asked, nearly making the three of them jump in shock.

_"Maybe because we don't KNOW what they want to know…?"_ Eon said angrily.

_Then ask, idiot.__ Make them tell you what they want to know, and answer their questions. But remain discrete. Don't let them know that you do not know what they want to ask. _Shiruba explained.

Eon gave Axel a slight glance from the corner of her eye, before looking back up to Yata. She slowly opened her mouth in the real world, but it felt dry. She really had no idea _what_ to ask them…

"So…erm…" She muttered quietly. "What do you want to know?!" She blurted out, before twisting her mouth in an awkward angle to keep it shut.

That was one way of asking…

She could have sworn that she heard Axel hit his forehead in the real world, and cry out in pain, since the Party Chat was still on for the other two.

_"Wow, very discrete…"_ Axel muttered sarcastically in the Party Chat, before switching it off with a quiet 'ding'; Hikaru copying.

Yata looked up in thought, as if he wasn't expecting this…which he was…

"Why don't we start with a simple question?" He began. "What are the names of your…Avatars…?" He questioned.

Axel's eyes narrowed.

"Hey you, we won't answer your questions, unless you answer our as well. Got it…?" He demanded. "If we tell you our…_Guardian's_ names, then you have to tell us yours. You all have one if you're here, don't ya?!" He asked.

Yata looked shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"I understand completely; though how unexpected, for one such as yourself, to ask such a…well thought out demand." Yata explained with a small grin.

"Fine then!" Axel said loudly, though a hint of anger in his voice; obviously from being implied '_smart_'. "I'm Axel, and my Guardian is called…" He paused, as Ginryuu spoke to him; though only audible to the other Guardian Masters. There was a moment of silence, as Axel looked up at the Dragon's call, before answering. "And my Guardian's name is Ginryuu: The Tempest!"

_Wow…Axel can kind of sound…COOL, if he puts his mind to it…_ Eon thought, looking at the Twin Blade.

"But I just call 'er Ginny for short, 'cause it sounds _pu__rdy_!" Axel added cheerfully.

A large sweatdrop appeared on the back of Eon's head.

_Or not…_

Yata slowly nodded his head, before shooting a quick glare at Haseo and Kuhn, who were now giggling at Axel's remark.

They shut up immediately…

"And yours…?" He asked, motioning Hikaru and Eon.

Hikaru slowly opened an eye, before shutting it and answering,

"Aurum: The Protector" He said simply.

_Hey, yer up next, squirt!_ Shiruba announced within Eon's head cheerfully. _M' name's Shiruba: The Fangs of Judgement!_ She explained, pride in her voice.

Eon almost choked on her breath.

_Judgement…?_ She thought, feeling her heart beat harder in the real world.

_Th__at's what I__ SAID._ Shiruba said angrily. _Are you deaf, or just stupid…?_ She asked, playfully.

Eon looked down in the real world, ignoring all of the faces in front of her, in her M2D. 'Judgement'. That was what the guy with the funny arm called her…what he told her to 'become'…why she was in a coma for so long…

"Eon…?" She barely heard, before noticing that Axel was looking at her. "It's your turn…you okay…?" he asked.

"Y-yeah…" She mumbled. "I-I'm Eon…and my Guardian is Shiruba: The Fangs of Judgement." She announced, but little emotion was in her voice.

"I see." Yata said quietly. "And to meet your demands, _Sir_ Axel…I shall tell you our Avatar's names." He explained.

Yata pointed at Haseo first; the Adept Rogue, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He is Haseo, the 'Terror of Death'. As for his Avatar; Skeith, also known as the Terror of Death." Yata explained.

He quickly pointed to Atoli.

"Atoli, with the Avatar, Innis: The Mirage of Deceit."

His finger moved over to Kuhn.

"Kuhn, with his Avatar, Magus: The Propagation; and I am Yata, with Fidchell: The Prophet."

He dropped his arm, and motioned Sakubo with his gaze, as well as Pi next to her.

"That is Sakubo, with Gorre: The Machinator, and Pi, with Tarvos: The Avenger." Yata explained, before turning his gaze back to the three of them.

"There is one more Epitaph User, but he is unable to be here for…offline problems…" He said in a low voice. "He is the vessel for Corbenik: The Rebirth."

Axel and Hikaru nodded, but Eon was lost in her own little world still; Yata's words barely reaching her.

"So…is that all of your… 'Epitaph-thingies…?" Axel asked.

Yata nodded in response.

"That is all of the Epitaph Users…which now brings up a question for you three…" He said, another small grin creeping onto his face. "How many 'Guardian Masters' are there…?" He asked, again, tactfully.

_Nosy Bastard, ain't he?!_ Ginny demanded, with a loud and angry hiss. _What do our numbers have to do with him?!_

_Please calm down, Ginryuu…_ Aurum said calmly.

_Ginryuu's got a point, shiny._ Shiruba said with a growl. _It ain't any of his damn business._

Aurum sighed within Hikaru's head.

_Why don't we just tell them…? I am sure that this topic will come up sooner or later…_ He defended.

Shiruba and Ginryuu growled, but did not argue with the wise dragon.

_Every Guardian has an element, as for how many of us there are; it's none of his damn business._ Shiruba explained angrily. _For THIS world's elements, that is…_

Eon slowly nodded, slightly back in 'The World' mentally.

"Shiruba says that there's one for every element." She explained, only to receive strange looks from the group of Epitaph Users.

"Shiruba 'said' so…?" Yata questioned sceptically.

Eon opened her mouth to answer, but Axel beat her to it.

"You saying that she's _lying_?!" He demanded, gritting his teeth together. "'Cause I don't _think _that she's lying if _I_ can here Ginny's voice too!" He yelled.

Hikaru furrowed his brows angrily as well…though only looked slightly agitated with his usual face…

"Yes; I hear Aurum too." He explained.

Yata slowly crossed his arms over his chest, before turning around to face the floating sphere behind him.

"Is that so…" he muttered, though to himself.

He closed his eyes in thought for a moment, before quickly flipping his hand over the sphere, and moving it slightly to the left, instantly opening the familiar file of Eon's fight with the AIDA, Capricorn.

He allowed it to play for a few moments, before looking over his shoulder at them, and pausing it, _just_ at the moment that the gash appeared on the dog-girl's cheek.

"Would you explain this then…?" He asked, back facing them.

Eon's stomach tightened as she looked at all of the pairs of eyes, minus Yata's, facing her.

"I…I…dunno…" She admitted, shuffling her feet uncomfortably.

"You cried out in pain…I _believe_ that this area became an AIDA server at that time…but even so…why did _you_ receive that damage, and not 'Shiruba'…?" He asked, slightly looking over his shoulder at her.

She fidgeted a little bit more.

"I…Shiruba…um…" Eon struggled for words, but her mouth was completely dry, and her heart was pounding too fast for her to even think straight.

"We take damage, instead of them." Axel answered for her, eyes facing Yata unchallenged. "That's the rules of the user of our Guardians. We are vessels. They are our strength."

Eon looked up to Axel, and gave him a small grin of appreciation, before Ginryuu ruined the moment completely;

_Well, looks like the idiot can sound cool after all…wonder if you can back it up though, against__ an__ AIDA Explicant._ She said with a growl.

Axel nearly fell over, before slamming his PC body's head with his fist hard.

There was a loud cry of pain, as Axel apparently _also_ hit himself in the real world, before 'order' reclaimed the room.

_I'm in your head, nimrod. You can't hit me._ Ginryuu explained with a growl of delight.

"I can sure as hell try…" Axel muttered, making Eon giggle.

Yata watched them in silence for a few more moments, before continuing with the 'interrogation'.

He narrowed his eyes in thought, before shutting them.

"What exactly are your 'Guardians'…?" He asked, opening his dark eyes again.

Axel stuck up his index finger, as if about to explain…before her remembered that he had no idea what the answer was to the question.

"Hell of I know." He answered rudely, Ginny agreeing with his remark completely.

"Prototypes." Hikaru blurted out suddenly, making all eyes turn to him. He did not flinch or crumble under the stares, but he _did_ close his eyes and grin calmly, as he normally did…

_Prototypes…? Of what?_ Eon asked Shiruba.

The beast took a long moment to answer, before finally spilling the beans, to her and Ginny's displeasure.

_Prototypes of the REAL Avatars._ She explained distastefully. _There was once an experiment, a long time ago, just before this 'World' was created. An experiment to mimic the God-like powers of Aura. CC Corp. thought that they could stick special man-made monsters into certain, compatible players, and give them the same abilities as her, __making__ this 'World' more interesting…those damn Bastards! They tried to play God with us, who were created for the soul purpose of being the 'God's' of 'The World', but found us 'insufficient', and scrapped us! THEN they attempted to use the actual Avatars, pieces of the AI, Morgonna, and sent a man to insanity. He then burn the building into the ground, and that was when we were finally able to escape to this world; along with the Avatars. You could say that we are __'weaker'__ then the Av__atars in genera__ though__…_

_What?!_ Eon demanded mentally. _But you BEAT the 'AIDA__ whatever-they're-calleds__'__; something that THEY couldn't do!_ She explained.

Shiruba was silent for another long moment.

_There are many differences between OUR strengths, and Avatars._ She explained. _Avatars combine with a compatible human, and fight along side them. We merely take you as a vessel, and use your own physical health to beat the enemy. The only reason that WE can beat the AIDA Explicants, is because we have the ability to crack their data; an ability unique only to us._

Eon looked up to Axel and Hikaru, who were letting this sink in, both looking mildly tired. She slowly looked back to the Epitaph Users, noticing that they had not heard what Shiruba had just explained, and took a deep breath.

"Shiruba said that they are 'prototypes', of a 'God' project before this game was made…" She explained, noticing the look of interest in almost all of their eyes. "They…are like Avatars…but use our power…our 'strength' to fight…the only reason that they can beat the 'AIDA Explicants', as she calls them, is because they have a special ability to crack their data…something that Avatars don't have…"

She could hear Shiruba let out an angry grunt as she finished, but ignored it.

"I see…" Yata muttered quietly, turning to face the monitor again, and closing the clip. "So that is how it is." He said to himself.

"So you're our Avatars…ancestors…?" Bo asked, sticking his knuckle up to his mouth, in thought.

"Guess you can see it that way…" Axel muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"Amazing…" Kuhn gasped. "I never knew that CC Corp. worked on anything else _before_ that incident…did you, Pi?" He asked.

The Tribal Grappler shook her head.

"I never heard of anything of the sort. I was not working in that division of CC Corp., nor am I now." She explained.

Axel gasped.

"You work for CC Corp. Pee?! _SUGOI!_ Does that mean that you're an Admin?!" he demanded. (Sugoi: cool)

Pi slowly nodded her head, not even bothering to correct the idiot.

Endrance looked down in thought.

"But why did it take until now for them to emerge…?" He asked, holding his arm out in question.

"Because, there was no threat the Avatars could not handle." Hikaru answered easily, one of his blue eyes slightly open. "No reason to come; no reason to work…nonetheless, Eon was in a coma for the past few months." He explained, not noticing the instant glare that Eon gave him.

"_You _were in a coma?!" Haseo asked amazed. "You never acted like it!"

Eon glared from Hikaru, over to Haseo.

"How do you _act_ like you were just in a _coma_?!" She demanded angrily. "Besides; it's not like I _asked_ to be in one!"

"Enough!" Yata howled, silencing the room instantly. "We will _not_ get off topic!" He demanded angrily, making all of the Epitaph Users and Guardian Masters shudder.

"Okay, okay!" Axel yelled, sticking his finger in his ear. "What else do you want to know?!" He demanded. "You _know_ that I _still_ need to fill my quota today!"

Yata glared at Axel, but Axel simply ignored it, and pretended to inspect the non-existent earwax on his PC fingertip.

Yata rubbed the bridge of his nose angrily, before looking from the Epitaph users, to the Guardian Masters.

"You said that there are more Guardians, one for every element…if that is so, then _how_ would we find them…?" He asked, holding his arm out in question.

_Look around idiot!_ Ginny howl from within Axel's head, making Aurum sigh.

_Each of us has an element here. I am Earth; Ginryuu is Wind…or also called 'Electricity' in other games, similar to this 'World'. Shiruba is 'Fire'. That leaves Water, and Light and Darkness._ He explained.

_Each of us takes after a server, to put it simply._ Shiruba explained. _I am the God of the Sigma Server. Remember that Beast Statue…? That's me. Ginryuu and Aurum are of Don Dola's __Theta server. Remember the two dragon's at the Beast Statue…? That stands for them. I think that you can see where this is going…_ She asked.

Eon nodded slowly, before noticing the fact that that still left _two_ servers.

_What about the other two servers then…?_ She asked.

_CC Corp. has been fixing the fourth server for a long time…those lazy bums are FINALLY going to add it within the next few days, so __level up and check out what that place looks like for reference __on the final element__s._ She explained.

Eon slowly nodded, before re-explaining it to the Epitaph Users.

"I see…modelled after the Beast Statues…" he muttered.

_Modeled AFTER the Beast Statues?! Are you just stupid, or behind the times, geezer?!_ Ginryuu demanded…even though she knew perfectly well that he could not hear them… _WE are the models __FOR __the Beast Statues! Get it through your pea-sized brain!_

"Axel, I would _not_ repeat that, if I were you…" Eon whispered to the Twin Blade, who nodded silently. Yata was in a bad enough mood at the moment…no need to set him off _completely_…yet…

"Is there any more questions…?" Hikaru asked calmly.

Yata looked up in thought for a bit, before shaking his head.

"That was more then enough to take in for one day…" he explained.

"Good, for you and I both, baldy." Axel agreed, before racing out of the Serpent of Lore at full speed, not bothering to look back.

Yata frowned.

"I will keep in touch." He explained, before dismissing them with the wave his arm.

Eon and Hikaru starred at him like he was an idiot, for thinking them to be obedient like dogs…even though Eon _was_ technically part dog in 'The World', before leaving with the rest of the 'gang'.

-

-------------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: Raven-----------------------------------------

-

"Well, wasn't that educational now, huh whitey-chan?" Axel asked as he slid down the rail to the lower part of Raven's floor.

"Stop calling me that!" Haseo yelled angrily, as Axel quickly spun on his heel and gave him a large grin.

"Whatever you say, whitey-chan!" He announced with a salute, making Eon and Hikaru giggle.

Haseo was not impressed.

He gave a small sigh, as he turned to Kuhn and Endrance to his left.

"What now…?" He asked, ignoring Axel, who was now proceeding with sticking his PC body's fist into his mouth.

Kuhn gave a small shrug.

"I guess that we won't know until Yata contacts us." He explained, Endrance nodding in agreement.

"Then I'll take my leave here!" Sakubo said cheerfully. "If Master En doesn't need me here, then I'm gone!" Saku announced.

Axel spat out the fist and coughed loudly into the Mic.

"_YOUR VOICE JUST CHANGED_!" He yelled in shock, pointing an accusing finger at the little Shadow Warlock.

Saku gave him an unamused look.

"Yes, for _your_ information, Baka-kun, it _did_ change!" She explained. (Baka: Stupid)

Axel looked from Haseo, to Sakubo in shock.

"Did she go through puberty in the span of thirty minutes?!" He demanded, making half the room fall over.

_WHACK!_

Eon hit him hard on the head with her fist.

"_NO YOU MORON!_" She yelled, crossing her arms. "There are _other_ reasons for a voice change in a _game!_"

Pi rubbed the bridge of her nose in the real world tiredly.

"Sakubo has split personalities." She explained. "Saku is the older sister. Bo is the younger brother."

Axel slowly nodded his head, but Eon looked at him sceptically.

"You had _no_ idea what she just said, did you?" She asked.

"Nope." He answered, before looking at the clock in the real world, only to let out an agitated sigh. "Hey, Hikki and I need to go now! If we wait any longer, there won't _be_ anyone left to fill our quota." He explained, before he turned towards the exit of the Home.

"Wait." Haseo said, glaring at the back of the Twin Blade's head.

"Yeah…?" Axel asked, a small grin on his face.

"Don't PK." Haseo said, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you do, someone will come after you." He explained.

"Oh, like you, whitey-chan…?" Axel asked cheerfully, before narrowing his eyes dangerously. "'Cause, you know that you don't scare us. Hikki and I are some of Kestrel's strongest; right after Gabi in fact!" He explained, "If you want a fight, we'll give you one…and a _lot_ more too…" He said, before slowly turning back to the door, and leaving silently.

Eon watched them leave, before turning to the silent Haseo.

"You know that they _aren't_ kidding." She said, noticing Kuhn and Pi log out behind her. "They are strong, and Axel PK's more then one hundred a day." The dog-girl explained.

Haseo looked at her sceptically.

"No one can slay one hundred players a day." He said.

Eon made a small grunt in argument.

"If that's true, then think of this, Mister 'Terror of Death'. There are three people per party. There can be up to two parties in a normal area, randomly selected and made. What if you were to go to a hot-spot, like a quest area…? How many parties would be there…? They only need to take out thirty-three parties to kill ninety-nine. Over 'one hundred' would be thirty-four." She explained monotonously.

Haseo blinked in shock. Was Axel _really_ wise enough to think up something like that…?

"And how would you know _that_…?" Saku asked with an interested look on her character's face. "Could it be that _you_ were PKed by him…?"

Eon turned to the little Shadow Warlock, who was grinning smugly.

"For your information, I was. Only at the time, Axel was around my level, and _I_ ended up PKing _him_ instead." She explained, thinking back to the good ol' days. "Later, in Mac Anu, I met up with him and Hikaru, where we got to know each other. That was a few years ago, before I was put into a coma by that jerk." She hissed, before seeing that Sakubo was no longer paying attention, and was complementing the Epitaph User by the name of 'Endrance'.

Eon narrowed her eyes, ignoring how tears were flooding down Atoli's face sympathetically. She thought for a moment of how to _possibly_ get back at the annoying shrimp, before it came.

"Hey, you're Endrance, right…?" She asked, stepping towards the tall Blade Brandier.

Endrance looked away from the minor pain-in-his-side, Sakubo, and to the little doggy-girl.

"Yes, I am." He answered formally.

Eon grinned sweetly.

"You're at a really high level, aren't you? If so, will you level up with me…? I can't go to high areas alone." She explained.

Endrance looked from Sakubo, to Eon, and finally to Haseo. He gave the Adept Rogue a 'what should I do, oh glorious master' look, before Haseo crossed his arms again and nodded; ignoring the hole slowly being burnt into the back of his head by Saku's death glare.

"Very well then." Endrance answered with a small, but slightly pained grin. "Where do you want to go?" He asked.

"Somewhere that I can gain all of my levels back!" Eon announced, before grabbing Endrance's arm, and leading him out of the Guild…but not before discretely turning her head and sticking her tongue out at Sakubo.

-

"That little…" Saku howled furiously. "Trying to steal _my_ Master En?! _SHE WILL PAY!_" The Shadow Warlock announced, before stomping out of Raven, leaving Haseo and Atoli alone.

"Well this was an…eventful day…" Haseo muttered, before turning to Atoli, who was teary eyed. Haseo stepped back in shock. "Wha-what's wrong with you?!" He demanded.

"That—that was so _sad_!" She explained, before hugging onto Haseo tightly.

"H-hey! Get off me!" Haseo demanded, before shoving her off with extreme difficulty.

The Harvest Cleric slowly whipped her eyes, before quickly turning on her heel, and running out of the Guild.

Haseo starred off after her, utterly confused.

"What was so sad…?" He muttered to himself quietly, before logging out of 'The World'. That was enough for the day…

-

---------------------------------Delta Flying Beast's Frying Pan---------------------------------

-

Endrance wielded his sword masterfully. He quickly cut down all of the enemies in his path, and sheathed his sword gracefully.

"Sugoi!" Eon called, amazed, as she clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "_That_ was the coolest thing that I've _ever_ seen!" She admitted, before racing over to Endrance.

"It was nothing." He muttered, but did not seem to be focused on her, or anything else in the dungeon for that matter; he starred off into the distance, as if thinking on something, long and hard.

Eon looked up at him, cocking her head to the side a little.

"Hey, are you okay, Mr. Endrance…?" She asked, prodding his arm lightly.

"I am fine." He answered easily, but did not look down at her.

Eon cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Are you sure…? You seem a little out of it. I heard that you were once the Arena champ…and I'm _pretty_ sure that Arena champions do _not_ stare off into the distance without thinking on something." She explained thoughtfully.

Endrance gave the dog-girl a quick glance, before walking towards the nearest party of monster with long strides.

He created an 'Outbreak of Battle', but did not with a sneak attack, as Eon would have thought him to do, though it did not matter. He cut down the level thirty-seven enemies like they were slides of bread, and within seconds, the fight was over; the victor, Endrance and the trainee, Eon.

Eon narrowed her eyes angrily, before racing past Endrance and standing in front of him.

"Hey dude, what's the deal?!" She demanded, pointing up at the purple-haired Blade Brandier defiantly.

Endrance continued to walk towards Eon, and pushed her out of the way with a long arm, much to her displeasure, and created another 'Outbreak of Battle' with another party of Goblins. Again, he was the victor by a long shot, and temporarily stopped to look around the field for another party to defeat.

"_Endrance_!" Eon called angrily, running up to the Brandier and latching onto his arm tightly. "What is _wrong_ with you?!" She demanded.

Endrance stopped walking, and looked down at the girl; a hint of distaste in his eyes.

"Why do you think that there is anything wrong…?" He asked, not even bothering to pull his arm back from her grip. "You have never adventured with me before; therefore, how can you presume that there is anything wrong…?" He questioned.

Eon's ears flattened in shock, as she slowly let go of his arm and backed away slightly.

"I…I just thought that you were acting a little weird… Players don't normally ignore their party completely!" She explained, putting her arms out, palms up in explanation.

Endrance glared down at her with malice in his eyes.

"I did not choose to come here with you." He explained, pulling out his sword, and suddenly pointing at her neck with it. "It was Haseo that chose that for me. I could not care less what happens to you."

Eon looked up to Endrance with large eyes.

"You…you don't need to put it that way! And why did Haseo 'choose' for you?!" She demanded. "Are you not your own person?! Can't you choose for yourself?!"

Endrance's eyes narrowed even more.

"Haseo is the only reason that I get up in the morning. He is, but the most beautiful thing that this 'World' has to offer! A pathetic piece of scrap like you can not _ever_truly understand. He has endured so much to save this 'World', even risking his own life to save it…yet you 'Guardian Masters' come and try to take it away from him." Endrance said, moving the Blade closer to her neck.

Eon did not flinch; she only looked up into his eyes, unblinking and unafraid.

"He is 'beautiful'…? What are you talking about, Endrance? He is the only reason that 'you get up in the morning'?! Get a hold of yourself and get a grip on reality! Letting someone _choose_ how your life will be run, from inside a _video game_ no less?! What are you? An idiot?!" She demanded, her hands clenched into fists. "I asked you what was wrong, and all that you have to say is that I'm an ugly piece of data?! Well fine then! So are you, believe it or not!" Eon yelled, baring her teeth at him. "If you didn't like me, then _why_ come with me?! _WHY DID YOU COME?!_"

Endrance grit his teeth together angrily.

"Because, Haseo told me to!" He announced, moving the blade an inch closer to her neck again.

"Is that so…? Seems to _me_ that all Haseo did was _nod_! Is that _really_ an order? NO! It's _not_!" she explained, still ignoring the impending possibly of being PKed here and now, by none other than the previous Demon Palace Emperor. "_You_, Endrance, were the one that made the choice to come here with me; and whether or not you like _your_ choice, live with it!"

"I. Did. Not." Endrance said coldly. "Haseo told me to. _He_ tells me what to do, and I will obey his orders to the ends of the earth!" Endrance explained.

"Really…?" Eon asked. "Then does Haseo tell you to breathe…? Does he tell you to eat? To sleep? To _live_?!" She demanded. "_No_, he doesn't! Figure it out, Endrance! You control yourself, and your actions! You could have said no, if you really hated my guts _that __much_ this whole time; but you _didn't!"_ Eon said, before standing up straight; the blade less than an inch from her neck. "If you really hate me that much, then PK me." She said, looking up to his eyes calmly.

Endrance paused, unsure of what to do.

"What are you waiting for…? Do you need Haseo to tell you to kill me too…? If so, then _why_ is this sword to my throat? Tell me Endrance, why is it _here_?" Eon asked strongly.

Endrance's hand shook a little, as he tried to come up with a come back, but nothing came, Haseo _didn't_ order him to do this… She was right!

"I…" he mumbled.

"You _what_?" Eon asked. "I can't hear you."

"I…" Endrance muttered again, looking down at the ground before him, as if it would give him the answer that he was searching for.

"You don't know, now do you?" Eon asked, before shrugging. "I thought not… Now if you don't have a reason to kill me, then move your sword." Eon said, using her index finger to push it an inch away from her neck.

Endrance slowly took the sword back, and sheathed it into its case, where it vanished. He looked down at the dog-girl, sorrow in his eyes.

"I…" He muttered, but Eon didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Whatever you want to say, it can remain in your head. I don't care if you think me a jerk, ugly, or even an absolute moron; but let me just say this, Endrance, you make your own decisions…so why rely on Haseo to do so for you…? If it is out of respect, then it has gone _way_ too far. Why do you listen to him, and act like this?" She asked calmly, holding out her hand in question.

"I…Haseo saved me…If not for him…I would have no reason to live." Endrance explained, gritting his teeth together hard as he remembered the day that Haseo came to him for help; the day that he said that he 'needed him'.

Eon slowly nodded, before closing her eyes in thought, and leaning back on the spot.

"He gave you a reason to live…? Do you really think that just playing a game is a good reason, Endrance…? Let me tell you something," Eon muttered, opening her eyes again, and looking up at the tall Blade Brandier. "More people, other than Haseo need you. You may not have noticed it, but all of the Epitaph Users in G.U. need you; not to mention Sakubo." She explained with a grin. "So just keep that in mind." Eon muttered, before turning around, and facing the nearest Warp Panel.

"Others…need me…?" Endrance questioned, looking at Eon's back, amazed.

"Heck yeah." She answered with a small grin, looking over her shoulder. "Just as Haseo needed you back then, I needed you today, Endrance! Without your power, I'd of _never_ come _this_ far down, into the dungeon!" She explained.

Endrance looked down in shock, before Eon slowly reached up to him, and tugged on his hand. She gave him a cheerful grin, before pointing at the Warp Panel.

"C'mon, let's go back. I can't play late, and you still hate me!" She announced, before pulling him towards the Panel.

There was a bright blue flash, as Eon teleported back to Mac Anu. Endrance starred off after her for a long moment, before a small smile crept onto his lips.

He _was_ needed…not just by Haseo…but by everyone else as well…

He quickly looked up, and opened the Warp Panel's menu, before teleporting out of the dungeon, and into Mac Anu as well.

-

--------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu----------------------------------

-

Endrance teleported back to Mac Anu, only to see Eon talking with Axel and Hikaru, a few paces from the Chaos Gate.

"Wow, you went adventuring with _Endrance…?_" Axel asked, before noticing the long-haired Blade Brandier walk up behind Eon.

"Yep yep!" Eon announced, before giving a huge grin from ear to ear. "I levelled up about five times as well!"

"Yatta." Hikaru 'cheered', slowly 'shooting' his hand sup into the air, 'enthusiastically'.

A rather large sweatdrop appeared on the back of Eon's head, as she cheered as well with him and Axel, before she looked questioningly.

"Did you fill your 'quota' already…?" She asked, amazed to see them back so early.

Axel sighed irritably.

"Nope…still have twenty nine…and that's if I don't want to break my record today." He explained.

Eon nodded slowly.

"Then why are you here…?" She asked.

Axel stuck his finger up, as if about to answer, before remembering that they _had_ to reason for being in Mac Anu at this time.

"No clue…C'mon Hikki! Onwards and upwards!" He cheered, before heading to the Chaos Gate, and exiting to another Player Hotspot.

Eon grinned, amused at Axel's weird reasoning, before turning to Endrance.

"Thanks for the adventure today, and putting up with me." She said, giving him a slight bow. "It was fun, and I levelled up too!"

Endrance nodded slightly.

"Yes…" he muttered.

Eon gave the Blade Brandier a large smile.

"I guess that I'll see you whenever that baldy, Yata calls us, huh…?" She asked.

Endrance again, nodded in response.

"Well, until then, Endrance, see you!" Eon bid farewell.

"W-wait!" Endrance said suddenly, making Eon close her menu.

"Yeah…?"

"Thank you…" He said slowly. "For explaining that to me…"

Eon starred at him in silence for a moment, before giving him a heart filled grin.

"You're welcome! Maybe next time we meet, we can adventure again!" She said cheerfully, before logging out with a spiralling, blue light.

-

--------------------------------------Offline: Misaki Residence----------------------------------------

-

Ryou slowly exited 'The World', and entered his desktop, only to see a warning for 'two new messages' in his E-mail inbox. He quickly flipped over to it with the click of a button, and opened the inbox, as he had done so many times before.

There were two new messages in his inbox, both from CC Corp. He slowly read the titles of E-mails, one of them being about the Arena, probably a Title Match, and the other about a new server.

Ryou quickly flipped to the message about the new server, and opened it without hesitation.

_"Dear Mr. Haseo,_

_Thank you for your regular patronage of 'The World'_

_CC Corp. would like to announce the creation of their newest server; the Epsilon Server._

_You will now be able to transport to the Root Town; Saal Hak__u._

_Also, because of your victory in the Sage Palace Tournament, your Guild has been moved to the Home of Saal Haku._

_Thank you for your patronage of 'The World'._

_CC Corp."_

Ryou read through the E-mail quickly, surprised that CC Corp. actually added another server; this must mean that the maximum level was raised as well…from one hundred fifty, to two hundred…

He shut the E-mail and clicked on the e-mail above it, also from CC Corp, titled 'Arena'.

_"Dear Mr. Haseo_

_Thank you for your regular patronage of 'The World'._

_CC Corp. would like to introduce the newest addition to 'The World'; the Warrior Palace, in the Root Town, Lumina Cloth._

_This Palace is the newest instalment of the server, since it was updated, half a year ago. It is for players of the levels one hundred fifty, to level two hundred; and is an area that PKer's may PK freely within the Arena battles._

_The Warrior Palace currently has no Emperor, thus a tournament will be taking place in a week from this date, for all eligible combatants._

_The rules for the Warrior Palace are different than the other palaces._

_Within the Warrior Palace, parties will be made up of two parties, and two leaders._

_This means that if one leader were t__o die, the other party and their leader may resurrect the other party's fallen members, and leader. This ensures a harder, and more enjoyable fight for both spectators, and combatants._

_Items will be allowed in this tournament, but only at the limit of three per party; thus six can be used in all, for both parties combined._

_Who the party leader is, does not matter, nor how the parties are created, or who is in them._

_There is no limit to the player's level, but it is advised to be above level one hundred and fifty to fight in this Palace._

_Once both Parties are taken out for one side, the opposite side becomes the victor, and receives TP (Triumph Points) as well as the usual ranking TP._

_The final parties for the semi-finals will be determined by the total number of TP won by each party._

_Each win gives one TP to each player that participated in the fight. That means that three TP is given to one party, and six to both in all._

_TP is counted for both parties put together, on the final day of the counter, Players will insert their parties into registration, both their own, and the junctioned party, and the points will be counted from their. Once the points are counted, both parties may change their line-up to their advantage, for the semi-finals, and possibly finals._

_Since you have defeated the previous Sage Palace Emperor, Taihaku, you have received three T__P, and it is requested that you join in the Tournament._

_Thank you for your regular patronage of 'The World'_

_CC Corp."_

Ryou starred at the E-mail in shock.

Another 'Palace'…? With _these_ rules too?! CC Corp. must have been coming up with it for quiet a while…especially after Sakaki's Sage Palace invasion…

He closed his eyes tight; they stung from playing too long, but he was use to the pain already. He slowly exited his Desktop, and turned off the M2D.

He took it off and blinked a few times to get use to the dark room. Ryou slowly wobbled over to his bed in the corner of his room, and collapsed onto it. He shut his eyes, and put his wrist over his forehead tiredly.

Tomorrow would be an…interesting day…

* * *

So…what did you think…? I _really_ don't know where the 'Endrance yelling at Eon' part came from, but it did, and I wrote it. XP At least it proves that she's smart... 

This chapter took _SO_ long! It's almost 8000 words! _Holy cheese-toast!_ it would have been up earlier if I WAS NOT a lazy bum, and fell asleep for two hours, everyday after I got back from school...so sorry for the long wait.

All right people, pay attention to THIS!

_**I WILL HAVE A CONTEST ON RIGHT NOW, UNTIL NEXT FRIDAY! (OCTOBER 26, 2007) I WANT YOU TO REVIEW, AND AT THE END, GIVE ME THE IDEA FOR WHAT THE NEW ROOT TOWN, SAAL HAKU, LOOKS LIKE!! COME UP WITH ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT, JUST SO LONG AS IT IS REASONABLE!**_

So, until then, obviously, I will not write…and if no one reviews with any ideas, then I'll just have to work with what I've got.

The Winner, if anyone gives any ideas, will be E-mailed, and I will thank them in the next chapter.

Thank you for your regular patronage of the fanfict.

ZeroYasha!


	7. Hacker

All right, who'd have guessed, another disclaimer! (Yay…!)

.hack//G.U. does not belong to me…which in my opinion, sucks… XP

Axel and Hikaru, as well as Ginny and Aurum belong to Miffin/Pudding Fiend… The characters Kuroha and Hunter, also introduced in this chapter are Miffin's as well. Eclipse and Forsythe as well, but you really don't see them…)

Eon is mine…as well as Koji, Denki, and Aqua; all introduced this chapter.

Now, with the beginning of this chapter, brings a close to the contest of this fic! (Yes, I plan to have others!) The winner, Mudge and Miffin; and no,** I **_**didn't**_** choose their idea****s**** because I know Miffin.** They both said similar ideas, and that idea had the most votes, so there. XP I also mixed a bit of Dusk Ado's idea in with it, but wasn't able to _completely _recreate it…So, congratulations to you three, and thank you for all those that participated! Next time, I hope for more participants!

-

* * *

- 

**Chapter 7:**** Hacker**

-

Eon teleported into Mac Anu angrily. Since _when_ did Yata get off ordering her to 'come and see him immediately'?! What a stuck-up jerk…

She stomped out of the Cathedral, and to the Warp Panel in a huff; ignoring all of the Kestrel PKer's moving their blood-thirsty gazes to her.

With a bright, spiralling flash of cyan light, she appeared in Mercenary District, and slowly waltzed into the Home leisurely.

He disrupted her levelling up; the least he could do is wait for her arrival.

-

------------------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore-----------------------------------

-

"You're late." Yata commented as the little dog-girl entered the dark room.

"Yeah, well you're early, baldy." Eon argued, ignoring the glare that Pi had given her from the insult. "Anyway, what did you want me for? With _all_ of these monitors, I _think_ that you could see that I was busy. Short-Mailing me in the _middle_ of a fight does _not_ help me kill monsters!" Eon explained.

Yata let a small grin onto his face; this child had a lot of spunk…

He turned to face her, and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at her from above the rims of his glasses, before speaking.

"I have a mission for you, as well as the other two known Guardian Masters." He announced.

Eon starred at him for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. It was not funny, but the fact that he had called _her_ to come here, _alone_, must have meant that Axel had completely blown him off.

She managed to stop herself from laughing, just in time to hear Pi whisper to Yata that this seemed to be a bad idea.

"You cannot possibly leave this up to a couple of…_children!_" She explained desperately.

"I understand your concern Pi, but I believe that we can leave this one mission up to them…if only to see how much trust I can put into them for future use." Yata explained.

Eon grit her teeth hard.

_For future use?! What are we? TOYS!?_ She demanded mentally.

_Sounds like it…__bastard… We'll show him!_ Shiruba agreed with a growl.

Eon managed to suppress her anger somehow, noticing how Yata seemed to almost be goading her on to yell at him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction…not easily, at least.

"And why are you sending _us_ on a mission? I don't remember officially joining G.U." Eon explained, crossing her arms as well. "So technically, you can't control us."

Yata's grin grew a tiny bit more.

"Whether or not you officially join our cause, having the anomaly, 'Shiruba', within your PC body, as well as 'Ginryuu' within Axel, and 'Aurum' within Hikaru, you are all considered hacked players. Unless you are to obey the will of Project G.U., and provide the support that we ask for, all privileges will be taken away from the three of you, and your characters taken into examination by the Administrators of the CC Corporation." Yata explained simply.

Eon grit her teeth even harder, and curled her hands into fists; both in the real world, and this one.

How could he say this so coolly?!

She took a deep breath, before glaring up to Yata, who seemed triumphant over her.

"Then what is this 'mission'?" She asked, defeated.

'The World' was all that she had; if she lost it, she didn't know _what_ she would do…

"You are to form a party with the players, Axel and Hikaru, and explore the area, _Delta, Hidden Sniping Operator_, and search for any AIDA within the area, and destroy it. Understood?" Yata asked.

Eon nodded, ignoring Shiruba who was now yelling a long chain of swears from within her head.

"I get it. Go in, destroy, come out, right…?" Eon replied.

"Yes." Yata agreed.

"Okay, I'll be off then." Eon bid them farewell, and raced out of The Serpent of Lore as fast as she could.

Being in that place alone, without Axel or Hikaru at her side, was a little…creepy…

-

Pi narrowed her eyes a little bit, as she watched the girl race out of the room, full throttle, before turning to Yata.

"Are you sure that they can do this mission…? Even Haseo had me with him, the first time that he messed with AIDA." The Tribal Grappler explained, worried.

Yata pushed his orange glasses up higher, before answering.

"We really will not know until they have either succeeded, or failed." He explained. "If worse comes to worse, they will end up as Lost Ones; and I would presume, that if that were to happen, there is a chance that their Guardians would switch hosts."

Pi bit her lip in the real world. How could Master Yata be so heartless…? These kids were probably no older than Haseo; and he would never risk putting the Adept Rogue into so much danger…

"Pi," Yata started, shocking her for a moment.

"Yes…?" The Admin asked, looking up to her superior.

"I have a new mission for you as well." Yata said.

"Yes…?" She asked, but already knew what he wanted; it was the same with all of the Epitaph Users as well…

-

------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: Chaos Gate--------------------------

-

Eon tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Axel and Hikaru to transfer in from their newest PK-friendly field. She had told them both what Yata had explained about G.U. to her in a Short Mail, and that seemed to get under Axel's skin, as the reply stated a large amount of swears, as well as a 'be there soon'.

She shut her eyes, and leaned against the stone wall behind herself. She could imagine it being cold, like a real wall; not just a bunch of data in a computer game…

There was a bright flash, and Eon opened her eyes, just in time to see Axel race over to her.

"You weren't kidding, right?! They'd _really_ take our characters away?!" He demanded.

Eon nodded silently, and Axel swore again. Even Hikaru looked a little down-hearted.

"So…should we be going…?" Eon asked.

Axel and Hikaru both nodded, and the three of them joined into a party.

Eon quickly put in the three keywords to the new area; Hidden, Sniping, Operator…

There was a bright flash of cyan light, and the three of them were transferred to a completely new area.

-

Axel was the first one to say anything, in the form of a swear, when they saw the area that they were in.

A cave; oh how lovely. A big, long cave…most likely with monsters too powerful for Eon to take out…

"I bet that he chose this area on purpose…" Axel complained as the three of them started walking. "Just to keep me from filling in my quota today… I _barely_ filled it yesterday!"

"At least you _did_." Eon said, attempting to cheer him up. "And if we get out of here fast, you'll have a lot of time to finish it, won't you…?"

"That's true." Hikaru agreed, nodding his head.

"I guess…" Axel muttered, before spotting the first party of monsters in the dungeon.

Two Goblins, and a large Scorpion.

Lovely…

Axel gave Eon a sympathetic look, as her ears flattened sorrowfully; these monsters _were_ too strong for her…

With the press of the 'X' button, Axel sneak attacked them, and killed one of the Goblins instantly. He quickly flipped around, and slashed the second one, before it could summon another annoying Goblin in the fallen one's place, and Hikaru finished off the Scorpion with a hard swing of his Lance.

"There, done!" Axel chirped cheerfully, but it did not brighten Eon's mood.

Axel scratched the back of his head awkwardly, before continuing down the Dungeon.

Hopefully, it wasn't _that _long…

-

--------------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku---------------------------------

-

Haseo transferred into Saal Haku quietly, only to be blinded at first sight. All around him was _white!_

At first, he wondered if the AIDA had done something to mess up the server, before realizing that some light, shining, crystal-like things were slowly flying down towards him.

_Snow…?_

Haseo blinked in surprise. He really didn't expect to see _snow_…Saal Haku sounded more like a desert place to him…

He looked around himself. There were four paths; one north, west, south, and east. Haseo silently opened up his map to see where each path led.

The south path led to the Quest Shop alone; nothing else was around it. East led to a bazaar-like place, since the rectangular area had about _eight_ shops on either side. There was a small path in between the northern shops, which circled to the west, and led up to the north path; a small area labelled 'hills' in the center. The north path had the Home symbol plastered in the middle of it, but nothing more. Haseo looked to the west path, which had an 'H', which apparently stood for 'healing'…he wondered what that was for…

Haseo finally closed his map, and looked around to coordinate himself with his surroundings. The Chaos Gate was in the center of the block that he was in. To the left of the Gate, was a large boxed-in area, with a neon sign that flashed 'Skating Rink'. Haseo narrowed his eyes for a moment in confusion, before hearing a _loud_ crash come from inside…he didn't want to know…

The Adept Rogue started heading to the North path, before hearing a familiar voice call his name.

"_HASEEEEEEEEEOOOOOO!!!"_ Gaspard called.

_JUST _as Haseo was about o turn around, the Beastman tackled him in a large glomp; Silibus racing up behind him.

"We heard the good news!" Silibus panted.

"Our Guild is going to be a level ten Guild now!" Gaspard exclaimed, before hugging onto Haseo's waist harder.

"_Get off!_" Haseo howled, before shoving Gaspard off.

The Beastman only giggled, before standing up and dusting himself off.

"Thank you for everything, Haseo." Silibus suddenly said, sticking out his hand to the Rogue. "Canard would have _never_ come this far, if not for you."

Haseo slowly took Silibus' hand, and shook it.

"I-it was nothing…" Haseo started, but Silibus and Gaspard both shook their heads.

"Without you, we'd of _never_ even _been_ in the Arena! You've let us move our Guild _four_ times, from Mac Anu, to Don Dola, to Breg Epona, then to Tartarga, and now _here_!" Silibus explained.

"Yeah, Haseo! Thanks to you, we're now at the same level that Moon Tree and Kestrel are at." Gaspard stated. "That makes us one of the biggest Guilds in 'The World'!"

_Then why do we only have three members…?_ Haseo wondered.

"I see…" Haseo lied. "Well then…are we going to check out our new Guild or what?!" He asked.

Silibus and Gaspard cheered enthusiastically as they raced up the north path, and through the large twin doors of the Frozen Paradise's Home.

-

----------------------------------------Delta Hidden Sniping Operator-----------------------------------

-

A large red vein was pulsing on Axel's PC body's head.

Ten floors. This was the _tenth_ floor of this cave!

"_Since when do caves even go past five floors?!_" He howled, before noticing a small blue Sleiphnir bouncing around by the wall.

With a quick dash, Axel kicked the unfortunate Sleiphnir all the way across the room, and into the other wall.

Eon felt a little sorry for the poor thing, but as an NPC, it robotically restated its line, and vanished after promising to help them.

"_DAMN HORSE!"_ Axel howled yet again, before kicking his foot into the wall. "_CAVES AREN'T THIS LONG!_ _YOU JINXED US!_"

"Axel, calm down." Hikaru said, before picking him up. "The Beast Statue should just be down there…" The tall Lord Partizan explained.

Axel slowly nodded, before Hikaru finally put him down.

"Okay, so the AIDA-whatever's should be in there, right…?" He asked.

Both Hikaru and Eon nodded in agreement, and Axel let out a silent prayer of thanks to Aura.

He was beginning to think that they would die in here…even if this _was_ a video game…

-

"Is that all that we were needed for…?" A voice asked, making the three of them stop in their tracks.

"_Someone's here…?"_ Axel whispered.

The party of Guardian Masters was _just_ entering the area to the Beast Statue, before they heard a few voices conversing, one of which was silent; only words came from the character.

"_Looks like it…"_ Eon muttered, sneaking a peek into the room.

There were four people within the room; all male. The first one to speak was the second shortest of the bunch. He had black hair with a ponytail in the back, and was wearing a tight black tank top, with a dark navy overcoat on top of it. There were white cuffs on the ends of the jacket's arms, and his pants were a matching navy to the jacket. In his mouth was a small, but noticeable, toothpick…

Eon swung her head back behind the wall before any of them could see her.

"_I think that they're HACKED!"_ She exclaimed, though as quietly as possible.

"_What do you mean?!"_ Axel demanded.

"_Characters do NOT have toothpicks in this game!" _The dog-girl explained.

Axel and Hikaru looked at each other, before quickly sneaking a peek as well. They watched for a number of seconds, which felt like eternity to Eon, before swinging their heads back behind the wall.

_"Guess you're right…_" Axel muttered.

"_But what are hacked players doing here…?" _Hikaru asked.

"_HOW would I know?!"_ Eon asked, before listening in on their conversation once more.

"Yes, that was it." The silent, as well as the shortest one typed.

"Then I believe that that means that we may leave then." The tallest one said.

He wore navy kimono-style clothing, with long baggy pants and straw sandals. The jacket had short baggy sleeves that ended at about the length of his elbows, and there was a long white shirt under that; also with overly large sleeves. His eyes were shut, and slightly hidden under his long light brown bangs. His hair was neat, and had a ponytail in the back. On his left shoulder, to his right hip, was a long crimson strap, and there was also a crimson belt with a sword sheathe to his left. A large, cat-like smile was plastered on his face, even when saying this.

"Do as you please then." The shortest one typed.

"Okey dokey then!" The second tallest agreed.

He wore a cowboy hat on his head, and his hair was slowly layered in colour; brown at the top, and slowly getting lighter on its way down. The cowboy wore what appeared to be very heavy duty gloves, which stretched all of the way to his elbows; brown in colour. He wore a vest with many pockets in it, and brown and green pants…almost like camouflage, but not quite.

"All right then! Let's get a move on! I've got a lot of work to do, _just_ to pay you off…" The black-haired boy explained, glaring at the silent one.

"I am glad to be of service of you." He typed back, though it seemed sarcastic.

Yeah, some service. More like slave labour if you ask me…" He shot back.

"No one ever said that this would be a _fun_ job, baka-chan." The short boy typed.

The black haired one let out a frustrated grunt, before using the Warp Panel next to them to exit the cave.

The others watched him leave, before anyone spoke.

"I think that it is unwise to annoy Koji like that." The tallest one explained. "He is quite…sensitive…"

"He'll need to grow up." The quiet one typed strictly.

The tallest one starred at the short one, though his eyes were shut, it still seemed a little…unnerving, even if Eon did not know why…

"N-now now guys, let's not argue!" The cowboy said, standing in between the two of them. "C'mon, Denki, let's go before he takes away these characters, and we lose all of that money for no reason."

'Denki', as he was called, nodded to the cowboy, before giving the 'hacker' one final stare. (Though his PC body's eyes were still closed…)

"All right, let us go, Hunter." He stated, before heading to the Warp Panel, and leaving.

"Right behind ya! See ya, Kuro-chan!" Hunter yelled, before teleporting right after Denki.

There was silence, but the player seemed to sigh exasperatedly; even if it could not be heard.

"My name is Kuro_ha_, not Kuro." He corrected, before turning to the entrance of the Beast Statue room. "I know that you are there." He typed. "So just come out."

Eon's heart raced fast as she slowly stood up; Axel and Hikaru had similar expressions as her own. She slowly turned to face the entrance, before taking a deep breath, and entering the room; both of them at her sides again.

"So good of you to show yourselves," Kuroha typed with a small grin. "I was wondering if you'd choose to stay or run…"

Eon flinched back in shock. Did he see them when they peeked…? No. He wasn't facing them...so how…?

The silent boy beckoned them to come closer with his finger, and the three of them gingerly stepped forwards; all three more cautious than ever.

"How did you know that we were here…?" Axel asked, cocking one of his eyebrows.

"Simple, I'm a hacker. It's my job to know when people are nearby." He answered.

"Then why didn't you say anything earlier?" Eon asked.

"Because, you were not a threat."

"A threat…?" Hikaru asked.

The boy nodded silently, before grinning.

"You came here to eliminate the AIDA, correct…?"

"Yeah…._wait_! How do you--!" Axel exclaimed, surprised.

"I told you; I'm a hacker. I know a lot of things; therefore, I will not go into the specifics." Kuroha explained. "Now, as to why you were not a threat, those three that you saw earlier came to eliminate the AIDA as well. To put things simply, they beat you to it."

"There're others that can beat the AIDA?!" Eon exclaimed.

"Not originally. Only ones such as yourselves, who are in the Project G.U., could defeat them at first. I simply helped out 'The World', and created a few more…allies…" Kuroha explained, though there was still no voice to his words.

"Okay…" Axel muttered, before exchanging glances with Eon and Hikaru suspiciously. "So…if you did all of that, then why can't you get your own mic to work?" The Twin Blade asked.

Kuroha gave Axel a death glare, before answering.

"Not all need to use a mic to enjoy this game; however they choose to play it." He explained.

Axel was silent for a moment, before snapping his fingers together as a thought occurred to him.

"_Oh! I see!_" He exclaimed. "You're that kid from downstairs; the one that can't talk! The brat with the muscle-brained sister, and tree-hugging brother!"

Eon coughed loudly to hold back a laugh.

_"What are you talking about?!"_ She demanded in 'Party Chat'.

_"It IS him! I know it!"_ Axel answered.

Kuroha's glare grew angrier.

"_I am NOT a brat!"_ He typed angrily.

"But you _are_ mute." Axel said with a grin.

Kuroha was shaking furiously.

"And _how_ exactly can you prove that, genius?!" The shorter boy asked.

"Simple; your sister beat me up once on the way to school, since I wouldn't tell her how to turn on an iPod." Axel explained. "After that, yer brother came, and yelled at her, and said that he was sorry. I saw you later that day."

Kuroha grit his teeth together hard in the real world.

"Whatever you say, idiot."

"So glad that we agree!" Axel exclaimed cheerfully, nearly making Eon fall over.

Kuroha sighed exasperatedly; though like all of his other words, it was silent.

"All right, whatever you say, but I'd think that you want to hear me out right now." Kuroha typed, looking serious.

"Listen to you about _what_?!" Axel demanded. "This dungeon was long enough! Ten levels of _nothing_ but getting lost, and _finally_ I get to the bottom, _only_ to find a mute brat who wants to talk?! I haven't even filled my quota today!" The green-eyed twin Blade complained, before flinging himself onto Hikaru and pouting.

"What I have to say _may_ be an interest to you. As in, it will stop whoever it is from hacking into your systems." Kuroha explained.

The three Guardian Master's heads shot up instantly, all suddenly interested.

"Someone is…_hacking_ us?!" Eon asked, half confused, half afraid.

"That is correct." Kuroha answered.

"How do you know that?" Hikaru asked.

Kuroha sighed again, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"For the _last_ time. I. Am. A. Hacker! I _know_ these things! Besides, this system that I created lets me see characters that are hacked, and are being hacked." He explained.

Eon nodded slowly.

"So…what do you want to tell us? 'Hey, by the way, someone is stealing info from you. Just a heads- up'?!" The dog-girl demanded.

"On the contrary," Kuroha typed. "I wish only to aid you, and protect your PC bodies, as well as your own personal information, from those that wish to obtain it."

Axel and Eon exchanged sceptical looks, and Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, and for what 'price'?!" Axel demanded, remembering 'Koji's' previous statement.

Kuroha only smiled.

"No price; I am merely lending you some technology. Even a hacker has a soft side."

Eon bit her thumb in the real world in thought. Was someone _really_ trying to hack into their systems, and take out their information _forcefully_?!

"You had better hurry and make up your decision. They will have received everything quite soon." Kuroha typed casually, before pointing at his wrist, and making a watch temporarily appear on it, just to get the point across.

Eon shut her eyes tight, and bit on her thumb harder. With a deep breath, she slammed her palms onto her desk, and opened her eyes to the M2D's screen.

"Okay, how do we get it?" She asked.

Kuroha's grin widened as Axel and Hikaru exchanged glances, before nodding their heads as well.

"Quite easily," Kuroha typed, before his character stopped moving entirely.

There was a brief pause, though it felt like an eternity for the three of them, as Kuroha typed in many confusing codes into his laptop in the real world. After he checked his work, he pressed the 'Enter' button, and like magic, many thin, blue transparent screens appeared in front of the three of them.

"There, you can see what they are hacking from these screens. They will appear as anyone attempts to hack you, and you will easily be able to cut them off by resetting that part of your system, without resetting the whole game." Kuroha explained. "As you can see, someone _is_ hacking you, and I would advise that you cut them off. _Immediately._" Kuroha grinned.

Axel and Hikaru did as Kuroha said, but Eon quickly skimmed over what the hacker in question was trying to take.

Birth Date, Blood Type, school grade, family…

Eon bit her teeth together hard, before finally tracking the Hacker's current path. A small grin crept onto her face as she moved her finger above the track, and clicked on it. She typed in a series of keys from the bottom of the tiny blue monitor, before getting the 'Short Mail' option.

Time to have some fun…

-

-----------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore---------------------------

-

Pi shut her eyes for a moment before looking up to Master Yata seriously.

"I have the data…" She muttered, but Yata's back was facing her. "Master Yata…?"

Yata let out a small, irritated grunt, before turning to her.

"It appears that the area that those three have entered has turned into an AIDA server. I can no longer track their movements with the Serpent of Lore." He explained.

Pi nodded slowly, a small knot in her stomach.

Hopefully, they could handle whatever came their way…

"Now, about that information…" Yata said, extending his arm in a 'continue' position.

"Y-yes," Pi said quickly, before looking down to a glowing, translucent screen in front of her PC body's face.

"Starting with character ID, 77913; Axel.

Age: 15

Real Name: Keizen Sei

Birth Date: October 31, 2003

Gender: N/A

Blood Type: O Negative

Current Grade: 10

Current Marks: Failing all classes, or in the low sixties. The only class that…'he'…is passing is math, which is in a higher stream than 10.

Psychological Disorders: He/She has ADHD; the medication does not work. Bipolar, with very high ups and downs, and is a kleptomaniac, meaning that Sei has a high tendency to steal anything…shiny…

Family: ….what…?"

Pi stopped for a moment, as Axel's data suddenly vanished off of her screen at that point.

"What is wrong?" Yata asked, narrowing his eyes; his head looking back to his beloved big screen-monitor every few seconds.

"Th-the data just stopped dead there…" Pi exclaimed, before collecting herself. "I-it must be a bug…I will retrieve it later…next;

User ID 78912; Hikaru

Age: 16

Real Name: Kagurazaki Hikaru

Birth Date: August 28 2002

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O Negative

Current Grade: …? Again…?"

Pi looked at her screen dumbfounded. It cut her off again…

She looked up to Yata, whose eyes were now narrowed in thought.

"I…I don't know…" Pi started, but Yata held out his arm to stop her.

"It is all right, what about the third?" He asked.

Pi nodded, before looking down at her data.

"User ID: 76511

Age: 10

Real Name: Ippikiookami Eon

Birth Date: July 14 2008

Gender: Female

Blood Type: O Negative

Current Grade: …She is not in school…she stopped at the age of eight…

Specific Disorders: Retin—"

There was a loud '_PONG!_' sound, and Pi looked up at Yata in surprise.

A Short Mail…?

"J-just a moment please…a Short Mail…" Pi muttered, before reading the message.

_**"It is not very nice to spy."**_

Pi starred in front of herself for a moment, pale.

She looked at the sender.

_Eon._

Pi only starred yet again.

How did they know?! Was it _them_ that cut her out? But…_how?!_ She was an experienced hacker! _How_ could a _child_ outwit her?! It was impossible!

"Is there a problem, Pi…?" Yata asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I…they…!" Pi tried to explain, but the right words would not come to her mouth. She was still attempting to make sense out of all of this.

"Pi, random words do not explain anything." Yata explained bitterly. "Tell me, _what is wrong?"_

"I—I've been cut out of their records!" She exclaimed, before typing in various codes before herself. Nothing let her back in…

Yata's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before his gaze moved back to his monitor.

Did something _else_ happen within the server? Or…was it even an AIDA server to begin with…?

Pi swore silently, before slamming her fists onto her desk in the CC Corp. office building; earning her multiple stares from other workers.

"I can't get back in…they've locked me out…!" Pi explained.

Yata grit his teeth, before steeping back to the lotus flower-like control panel, and typing various things into it. No matter what he tried though, he could not enter that specific server, and see what those three were up to…

He shut his eyes in thought, before slowly opening them, and turning to Pi.

"We will make do with the information that you have already collected, and attempt to reclaim the rest at a later time." Yata explained.

Pi nodded, before putting the small screen away.

"What do you wish to look for?" She asked.

"Any possible connections between the three." Yata explained.

Pi nodded again, and stepped up to the series of monitors to the left of Master Yata, before typing in what she had found.

"The matches: All three have Blood Type O Negative, and currently reside within Tokyo, Japan. All three of also them started playing this game at least six months prior to the Third Network Crisis Incident; Hikaru being the last to join of the three." Pi explained, before turning back to her 'Master'.

Yata rubbed his chin in thought, before waving his arm over the floating green sphere before him.

A large monitor popped up in front of all of the others, and showed the three possible connections; Blood Type, residence, and time of playing.

"We will investigate this further, but at a later time; right now, we must find out what happened to our three subjects." Yata explained. "I will go with you to the Chaos Gate, and we will wait for them there. Unless they have become Lost Ones, they must return here sooner or later…"

Pi nodded instantaneously. Master Yata was right; they could not over look this, nor leave the three of them on their own…especially since they were the only clue that they had to ending this foolish 'war'.

Yata led Pi out of the Serpent of Lore, and into the main entrance room of Raven.

He was silent for a long time, before finally speaking to her.

"What else did you see in those files, before they were cut off?" He asked, interested, though his expression did not change.

Pi looked up thoughtfully, before answering.

"Only a few things…such as Hikaru's parents, as well as Axel's are barely ever home…and…" Pi thought.

"And…?" Yata asked.

Pi bit her index finger's knuckle in the real world. Had she seen right…?

"I…am not sure about the last one…" She muttered, "But, I intend to find out as soon as possible." She explained.

-

-------------------------Delta Hidden Sniping Operator-------------------------

-

Eon let out a relieved sigh. After sending the Short Mail, she just _barely_ had time to reset that system, just before the hacker could take out something…personal…

Axel stretched his arms back, and grinned cheerfully.

"Showed them right!" He announced, before laughing hysterically.

"Yes, it did." Hikaru agreed, nodding his head,

"I'm glad that you enjoyed your new ability so." Kuroha typed, a small grin on his face. "That makes it all the more worthwhile, if you are planning on using it." He explained.

"Hell yeah!" Axel cheered, before jumping up onto Hikaru's shoulders.

Eon nodded slowly, before allowing a small smile onto her face.

"Well, does that mean that our job here is done then?" She asked.

Axel looked around, as well as Hikaru, before facing her.

"Yup! Looks like it is!" He chirped, before hugging Hikaru's head.

"Let us go back." Hikaru said slowly, before lumbering towards the Warp Panel.

"All right! Let's go Eon! We'll see you in Mac Anu!" Axel explained, before the two of them teleported out of the Dungeon.

"Okay…" Eon muttered, turning towards Kuroha. "Why did you help us…?" She asked.

"Did I not answer that?" Kuroha asked. "I am a hacker, and we all have soft spots. Helping a fellow player in need is what we do best. Nonetheless; what would have happened if your information fell into the wrong hands…?"

Eon hesitated, before answering.

"I…don't know…" She admitted.

"Exactly. I would rather not find out either, myself." Kuroha explained.

Eon nodded slowly.

"Now, while you are here, I have a favour to ask of you." Kuroha stated, his face in an amused grin.

"What is it…?" Eon asked cautiously.

"I have a friend, who has just entered the Arena with those boys that you saw…or rather, heard earlier. My friend is always looking for a good challenge, and I believe you three up to the task; even without a second party. Those Guardians of yours can do wonders." Kuroha typed.

Eon starred at the boy, horrified.

"We can't just use the Guardians to take out people! Isn't that cheating, anyways?!" She demanded.

Kuroha shrugged.

"It is up to you, but still, I ask you to face them."

Eon glared at Kuroha, but he seemed unfazed.

"And _how_ am I supposed to do that anyways?! I'm _at least_ a quarter of Axel's level! All that I'll do is drag them down!" She explained, a little down-hearted.

"I have taken that into account." Kuroha typed, a mischievous grin on his lips. "That is why I have taken the liberty of levelling up your character for you." He explained. "The effects will not show until you log out, but it should be more than satisfactory to you, someone that has been Data Drained."

Eon's mouth went dry. How did he know that?!

"I…how?!" She demanded, but Kuroha only grinned at her.

"Their team names are, Crystal Seraphim, and Bad Boyz. I will look forward to the fight." He stated, before a large, black and purple portal appeared behind him. He stepped into it, and with one final, interested grin over his shoulder, the portal closed, leaving Eon standing there, dumbfounded.

_What…?_ She wondered, but nothing seemed to make sense at the moment. Players with the ability to kill AIDA? A mysterious hacker that gave them some strange technology, which they didn't even _know_ about…? She didn't know what to think at the moment…

Eon let out a small sigh, before stepping up to the Warp Panel, and teleporting out of the area. This was too much to think on for one day…

-

----------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu---------------------------

-

Eon opened her eyes slowly, to adjust to the minor difference in light levels within the Cathedral. The was a slight pause, when everything seemed to be calm, and even pleasurable, until it all came crashing down in one moment, when Axel screamed the words, "_Be __gone__ foul beasts!_" in a _very_ loud and idiotic tone.

Eon let out a long sigh, before turning around, only to see two familiar Guardian Master's, as well as two more familiar Administrators, glaring at them. She trotted up to them slowly, gaining the interest of Hikaru, but the other three were more occupied with more…frivolous matters…

"What's happening here…?" Eon asked the tall Lord Partizan, who looked down at her, slightly worried.

"When we came out, they were waiting for us, and wish to interrogate us." Hikaru answered. "Axel told them to go away, while you were still in the dungeon, but they will not listen to him."

"We are _not_ interrogating; we only want to know what happened within that server." Pi explained coolly.

"Indeed." Yata agreed.

"Yeah right!" Axel yelled. "Tell that to the judge!"

Eon smacked her forehead. She knew what the response would be to that.

Pi sighed irritably, before looking back to Axel.

"We are administrators. In any case, _we_ would technically be considered the 'judge' for anything that happens within 'The World'." She explained.

Axel gasped over-exaggeratedly, and held his hands up to his mouth.

"Well, then ask the non-judge!" He announced.

"What…?" Pi asked.

"I call my lawyer, _Eon_ to defend me in this trial! The judge…_That guy!_" Axel yelled, pointing.

Everyone turned their heads to the random passer-by that Axel had conveniently pointed to, before turning back, only to see that the Ninja, as well as the Knight, had vanished without a trace; most likely having Logged Out of 'The World'.

Pi bit her teeth together hard, and held back a swear, before turning to Eon.

"Don't you try to run as well." She said, a serious expression on her face. "Remember what we said would happen to you if you did not cooperate."

Eon sighed exasperatedly again, and shrugged in a 'don't care' way.

"Do I _look_ like I'm going anywhere?" She asked.

Pi shot Yata a look, and the Macabre Dancer nodded his head in agreement. She wasn't going anywhere…yet…

"All right then. We have some questions that would like to ask you, about the mission." Pi explained. "So, we would like you to accompany us to Raven. We will talk in the Serpent of Lore."

Eon gave Pi a look of distaste, before following the two Admins to their layer. There was no point in fighting back. She'd just need to get payback on Axel later…

-

-----------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore------------------------------

-

"All right, we will get straight down to the point. We wish for you to report everything that happened inside of that Dungeon, from the point that you entered the floor with the AIDA located on it." Pi explained seriously.

Eon's jaw dropped.

Scratch payback; this is now downright revenge!

"Why do you need _me_ to tell you?! Don't you have at least _one_ monitor in here that sees that area?!" She demanded.

"Because," Yata started, "once on that floor, we lost all contact with you, as well as the other two Guardian Master's; Axel, and Hikaru. From that point forward, we need you to explain what happened for us to analyze the situation."

Eon let out a loud irritated howl, before glaring up at the two of them.

This was _not_ a fun way to be spending her not-so-valuable time…nonetheless how she saw today's events unfolding…

"Okay…" Eon muttered, before sticking her finger to the side of her head in thought. "Well, we went into the dungeon. Wasted two hours of our lives getting to the bottom floor, and _then_, there was no AIDA in sight." Eon explained. She didn't want to tell them about their…'hacker friend', not yet at least. It wasn't really lying anyway…right…?

Pi narrowed her eyes, before slowly nodding.

"I…see…" She muttered, before looking up to Yata.

Yata also narrowed his eyes. It was unlikely that the computer was wrong, unless the AIDA left the area; nonetheless, what about the server's inaccessibility? She wasn't telling something… He closed his eyes slowly, before pausing, and then opening them again. There was no point in pointing fingers without any evidence.

"You are dismissed." Yata said coolly, ignoring the look of astonishment on Pi's face.

"_Finally_!" Eon sighed in relief, before dashing out of the Serpent of Lore.

"M-Master Yata?!" Pi demanded, but Yata held out his arm to silence her.

"There is no point in asking a question that they will not answer." He explained. "We will learn what happened sooner or later anyway."

"O…okay…" Pi muttered.

"Good." Yata said. "Now, focus on trying to retrieve that Data back." And with a quick turn, Yata stepped onto the Lotus Flower-like panel, and raised it out of sight. Now was not the time that he wished to be bothered. Not by _anyone._

Pi shut her eyes and cursed silently. She wished that Yata would take her feelings into account for once… She held her breath for a moment, before opening up her hacking window, and attempting to steal back the data.

-

----------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu----------------------------------

-

Eon nearly had a heart attack, as three familiar blue windows turned up around her. She resisted the urge to just plainly Log Out and shut down the system; there were regular Players _everywhere_ around her! Eon quickly looked around all of the screens, before finally locating the correct one, and shutting it off. It must have been the same hacker… She glanced around herself; just to make sure that no one was staring at her, or about to report her to the nearest Admin, (Most likely Pi or Yata to her displeasure) but no one looked at her.

"What…?" She asked, looking up from the transparent screens, to the passer-bys. "Why…?"

_Because they can't see it. That hacker-kid must have known that it would do that; saves you the trouble__ of__ Admins…nonetheless him…_ Shiruba snarled.

"Oh…" Eon muttered, before nodding in agreement. "I guess so…"

_Yeah…it would be stupid to give us something __that an__ Admin __could track__…_ She explained to herself mentally.

Eon watched as all of the screens closed. It seemed like the hacker didn't want to play anymore today…No wonder why…

Eon looked around the mass of 'The World' players, but did not see Axel or Hikaru anywhere in sight. She then opened her party list. Nadda.

Eon made a small, nervous giggle.

"I'm going to Log Out." She warned the giant beast.

_Do whatever ya want, brat._ Shiruba pouted, before a bright cyan spiral surrounded Eon, and she vanished. _…kids… can't keep em in one place…_

-

----------------------------Offline: Ippikiookami Residence----------------------

-

Eon pulled off the M2D from her eyes quickly. There was a _searing_ pain when she looked around her nearly all-white room, before she shut her eyes.

_Okay…note to self…Don't do that…_ She thought sarcastically, before slowly opening them again.

It was better the second time.

Eon sighed irritably, as she waltzed over to her bed, and flopped down onto it, like a fish. She knew that she still had to warn Axel about the 'battle' that Kuroha wanted, but wasn't in the mood. She wasn't even sure if he _would_ raise her level like he said he would…she wouldn't put it past him. There was really no way that they could fully trust him. Even if he _did_ give them the ability to stop people from hacking themselves, that could just be an attempt of trying to draw them into his hands…like in those old books that she sometimes read…

_'They trust the traitor, until the traitor turns traitorous'…or something like that…_ Eon attempted to quote, but, there having been no quote like that, it was a little hard to do so.

She stretched her arms to her pillows on the bed, and yawn loudly. Eon sat up and looked at the cloak on her desk.

6:52 P.M.

Eon made a _very_ unhappy gurgled sigh.

She had wasted over _half_ the day, trying to track down some non-existent AIDA! What a waste!

She grit her teeth together, before slamming her head into her pillow. There was no point in complaining about it now. The past was the past…unless they started working on that 'Time Machine' that people throughout the centuries have dreamed about, why complain?

Eon yawned once more, before slowly reaching her hands under her pillow comfortably.

_Okay…_ She thought._ Maybe just a quick cat—er—DOG nap then…_

Eon slowly closed her eyes, before drifting off to sleep.

Hopefully that hacker wouldn't attempt anything tonight…

-

-------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku: Hades----------------------

-

"You're late, Kuroha." A girl's voice said, as the short black-haired boy entered the Guild room.

"Yeah, well sue me." He typed distastefully. "Even _you_ are late sometimes too, _Aqua!_"

The girl giggled, but it wasn't a cheerful one.

"So be it." She said. "But the Master doesn't like late people."

"Well screw him." Kuroha argued, before walking to the center of the large room, and taking a seat in the amphitheatre-like area on a large, fancy red chair.

Kuroha looked around at his handy work. The room was large, and quite dark; totally going with the name 'Hades'. It slightly resembled the main part of the 'Icolo' Guild, but the walls, instead of being covered in banners, had multiple entrances for the other Guild Members; an area only for themselves.

There was a large entrance, which the door had the image of a large, Asian-style dragon in the center, and an even larger entrance to the main…inner room, for the Guild Master.

Around the various entrances were different doorframes. The left one, closest to the entrance, had marble symbols of 'clubs', 'spades', 'hearts', and 'diamonds', for cards around each of the corners of the doorframe. The nameplate, imbedded into the top of the entrance read, 'Libra'.

The room next to it had a large, spiralling eel around the doorframe. Its nameplate read 'Libra' as well.

The next room had images of various animals from the real world around the doorframe. Deer, elk, rabbits, and even crows, were worked beautifully into the marble. The nameplate stated 'Aries'.

The room closest to the right of the entrance, had the nameplate, 'Pisces', and around the doorframe, a maze of patterns of diamonds and pearls. The corners of the door had the image of a snake crawling out.

Next to that room, was the other 'Pisces' of the two. The doorframe had the image of one fish on either side, and water for the rest. The topmost part of the frame had what appeared to be the sun, rising from below the sea.

'Sagittarius' was beside that room. Its frame was the most plain of them all, but Kuroha loved it anyway. He worked extra hard for this specific player… There was only the image of a large, wolf-like creature on either side of the door frame. Nothing more, nothing less.

Kuroha's eyes drifted to his own room; 'Cancer'. He had to say…if he could talk, that cancer seemed to suit him; being a crab and all…but he would never admit it to anybody; especially not Aqua. His doorframe was surrounded with images of old, rifle-style guns from the past. He had to admit, it was a hobby…

Finally was the large, black abyss of the center, Guild Master's door. Above, where the nameplate would normally be, was instead, a large, lion-like creature imbedded within the marble. It glared down at anyone that dared look up at it ferociously, and its jaws agape. Around the doorframe, unlike any of the other rooms, was writing.

"Ye who wishes to play god, must pay the sacrifice first. Only then will immortality be granted, and thy shall receive the powers to govern all." It read.

Kuroha's gaze moved back to Aqua, just beyond his left, after a very bored-looking boy. They sat at a large, circular table, in the center of the indent in the floor; each of them waiting patiently for their Guild Master to emerge.

Kuroha sighed, but like all of his words, it was silent.

"You say that _I'M_ late, but what about _him_?!" He demanded.

Kuroha could barely make out Aqua shrugging uncaringly.

"What does it matter? He's a busy guy; and unlike you, he _doesn't_ cheat to play the game." She explained.

Kuroha grit his teeth hard in the real world. As much as he hated Aqua, he hated her attitude even more. He wished that he could take away all of the upgrades that he gave her, but even then, he would be in danger from angering his Guild Master. Even he knew his place in here…

"By the way, Kuroha…" Aqua started, a small grin on her lips.

"What?!" He demanded, irritably.

"It seems that you were awfully…generous today…" She stated. "I've never seen you be so nice to anybody but Rei…yet you so easily gave those three some of your…abilities…"

Kuroha slammed his fists into the table hard, before standing up fast, and glaring at the girl, making Koji on the far side of the table jump in shock.

"You _spied_ on me using _IT?!_" He demanded angrily. "I _thought_ that I created _it_ only for the Guild Master! _Not for your grubby little fingers to mess with it!_"

Aqua sat back in her chair, unfazed.

"Yes, you did, but even so, if you think about it more carefully, _I'm_ the second in command here, believe it or not, Mr. Hacker. Therefore, I get to play with your…_toys_ as well." She explained, with a sadistic smile.

If he could, Kuroha would have howled as many swears as he had heard in his entire life, but couldn't. He grudgingly took his seat, before a familiar, almost ghostly feeling came over all of them.

"I am glad that you could all make it here today." A man said from behind them, before slowly stepping up, and taking a seat next to Kuroha. "As for our little argument about the Uroboros, indeed, Aqua can use it, Kuroha," he stated, as Aqua stuck out her tongue at him, "but at the same time, she only has limited access to it. As you intended, I can only use its full potential."

Kuroha grinned snidely at Aqua, before turning back to his Leader.

"Now, before we get this meeting started, I would like to ask you, Kuroha; why did you give those children that ability?" The man asked.

"I gave it to them, so none of those stupid G.U. administrators could steal their data. I _also_ gave it to them, though, to keep tabs on them, like you wished to do so from the start." He explained.

Kuroha could see a small grin creep onto his leader's face, but nothing more, other than a golden eye starring in front of himself in thought.

"I see. Good work." He said.

Kuroha nodded enthusiastically, before turning to the now fuming Aqua.

_In your face! _He typed, using the Whisper command.

Let's just say that Aqua was not pleased…

-

--------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth: Waiting Room------------------

-

Eon bounced up and down on her toes eagerly. She watched a small screen show the end of a quite powerful team at the hands of some no-name players.

She couldn't help but let out an excited squeal.

"_Finally!_" She said, looking Axel and Hikaru cheerfully. "Now it's our turn!" She announced.

"Yeah!" Axel yelled, pulling out his Twin Long-Daggers. "Took long enough; those wimps!"

"Yes." Hikaru stated simply.

Eon watched the players all teleport out of the Arena, before grinning brightly. That kid stuck to his promise! Eon was now a level one hundred and fifty-seven 'Seraphim' as her class was apparently called. (Thanks to Kuroha…)

"Okay, let's _go!_" Axel announced, as the three of them entered the Arena transporter.

-

"In the depth of the night, two parties face off to see which one can make it to the top!" The commentator yelled into his microphone, as Team Shinigami, and Team Butt-Kickers appeared on their platforms.

"Heh, team _Butt-Kickers?!_" Axel asked, before bursting into hysterical laughter.

Eon, and even Hikaru grinned as they entered the Fighting Area.

"What?!" The leader of 'Butt-Kickers' demanded, seeing that Axel, Eon and Hikaru only had _one_ of their two allowed teams. "Do you have a death wish?!" He demanded.

"No, I think that you've got that backwards…" Axel said, a small, maniacal grin creeping onto his face.

"Yes, do you _know_ what Shinigami means…?" Eon asked, crossing her arms.

"N-no..." He muttered, the Harvest Cleric behind him catching their drift.

"It means... " Axel started.

"...Death God." Eon finished, both grinning wildly.

The Steam Gunner stepped back in shock for a moment. Bad choice…

Axel dashed up to him, and with a quick tap of the Skill Trigger Button, used the technique, Thunder Squall.

Lightning surrounded his blades, and he shocked the living daylights out of the Steam Gunner, who soon after, fell to the ground, lifelessly.

Eon took this chance to race towards the large Edge Punisher for the second Leader of their party, while Axel had just finished taking out the first.

With a loud howl, Eon raced up to him at full force, but he was ready. He lifted his Broad Sword, and swung it quiet fast, attempting to hit Eon. Once the attack was over though, there was no dog-girl in sight. He laughed triumphantly, before a pair of golden slit eyes glared over his shoulder, and a small claw skewered his stomach.

He let out a cry of shock and pain, but Eon wasn't done yet. She whipped herself around, and flipped herself up, kicking him in the back of the head, before driving her claw up though his stomach, and to his chest, and out again.

The poor Leader didn't know what hit him, as Eon finished off, using a new technique, called 'Raising Beast'.

She kicked off of his back, and landed ten paces away. Eon then swung her left arm in front of herself, and set it aflame. She then did so for her right arm as well, and with a vicious howl, she launched herself into the air, and flipped three times, before rocketing towards the Leader.

It was over in _seconds_. The victor; Team Shinigami!

"Wha-what just happened here?!" The announcer asked, starring down at the field below. "It seems that Team Shinigami has beaten the time record for their level, but how?" he asked, before a slowed-down playback played on the screen, of the moment that the Edge Punisher attempted to slice Eon it two.

At the perfect moment, Eon ducked under the sword, and side-stepped around him, doing a quick spin, nearly becoming invisible under the red of the Broad Sword, before appearing behind him, and attacking.

The play-back played a few more times, as the audience watched the evasion in awe.

Eon sighed irritably.

"Haven't these people ever heard of dodging?!" She demanded. Axel shrugged.

"Guess not, but good idea! Hikki didn't even have to move!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"Ya-tta!" Hikaru exclaimed monotonously, before the three of them were teleported out of the Arena, and back next to the Registration Counter.

_"You have received three WP Points for winning, as well as the following items"_ A small bubble popped up.

Eon glared at the items that they received.

Two Fairy Orbs, a Spell Card, and a Broadsword.

_THEY COULDN'T EVEN USE BROADSWORDS!_

Axel sighed as well.

"Guess we'll have to sell it all…" He muttered, before turning to the opposite side of the Counter. "By the way, isn't that 'Team Crystal Seraphim' starting now…?" He asked.

"O-oh yeah! Let's go and watch!" Eon exclaimed, before racing to the opposite end of the platform, and to the Warp Panel.

"_Please select Arena."_ It asked robotically.

Eon quickly selected the Warrior Arena, before it asked where to sit.

"_I DON'T CARE!"_ Eon yelled at the AI, before clicking onto a random area.

The three of them then teleported into the Arena.

-

"The Beast growls viciously, as man attempts to slay it! It's the fight that we've _all_ been waiting for today! Team Crystal Seraphim and The Bad Boyz are back in brawl again!" The Announcer yelled into his mic. "For people that don't remember these guys, they are the ones that have obtained the extremely high number of 66 WP, in the short time of _two days!_ They have crushed opponents that are way more experienced, as well as stronger than themselves, and work _perfectly_ together on the battlefield! It is like a dance, just watching them, folks!"

Two teams of six players each appeared onto each of the platforms.

On the opponent's side, there was a level one hundred and seventy-three Steam Gunner, as the first leader, and a level one hundred and sixty-five Blade Brandier as the second Leader. Their party included two Harvest Clerics, both level one hundred and sixty-nine, and a Tribal Grappler, for the Steam Gunner, and a Beastman Shadow Warlock for the Brandier.

On the side of the 'Crystal Seraphim' were a…variety of characters…

The main leader of the bunch, the Leader of the 'Crystal Seraphim' Team, was named 'Aqua'.

She had red hair, with spiky bangs in the front; a mid-long ponytail in the back. She wore a tight dark blue tank top, with a high collar with lighter blue swirls in the front of the neck, and the sides. There was a white, long jacket over top, with a hood, as well as two long straps on the sides, just next to her neck. Her stomach showed, as the jacket was open, and the tank top short, and she wore a black belt around her waist. There was a white belt to her right side, leaning to the left, and she wore a pair of white shorts, that ended at her knees. She wore some straw sandals, similar to Denki's on her feet, and held two small, red fans in her hands. Her eyes blazed, as if anticipating a hard fight, yet, at the same time, enjoying it.

Behind her stood a smaller, and paler boy with purple hair. His character name read 'Rei', on the stat. screen, before the fight began, but he didn't seem too lively. His eyes were red, and half closed; almost as if bored, or even uncaring. His purple hair was quite short, but his bangs fell over his eyes quite a bit. He didn't seem to notice.He wore a large, plain black hoody-like shirt, with arms that were almost too long, and what appeared to be _jeans_ for pants. He slouched as he stood, waiting for the fight to begin, but in his hand, instead of a normal weapon, like a sword, or a staff, was a _violin_!

Axel starred at Rei in shock. _How_ did they not know that this guy was _hacked_, if he had such an _obvious_ weapon like that! His _Class_ even said 'Sorrowful Player'! He finally looked to the last player in 'Crystal Seraphim'.

The boy's name was 'Sijez'. His skin was tanned, unlike the rest of the bunch, but not as much as a regular player would receive from playing 'The World' normally. There was a golden loop earring in the upper part of his right ear, and a red bandana around his neck. His T-shirt was plain white, as well as quite tight, showing _some_ muscle. There was a long, dark brown jacket overtop, with red flame-like markings on the back, as well as on the ends of the sleeves; like Aqua, the jacket was open. He wore a mahogany belt around his waist, slightly loose, and dirty jeans as pants; holes on the knees.

The other party, 'Bad Boyz', consisted of Koji, Denki, and Hunter, as the three of them had seen in the Dungeon the day before, but all of them looked thirstily at the opponents before them; as if waiting to rip them apart.

-

"They look a little…scary…" Eon muttered.

Axel nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah…creepy…"

"Yes." Hikaru agreed.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Axel's shoulder from behind, and he screamed shrilly, making everyone nearby turn their heads to stare at him. He wheeled around, and glared at none other than Haseo.

"I'd have thought that a 'Shinigami' wouldn't scream like a little girl…" Haseo said, a small grin on his face.

"Yeah, well I'd expect an idiot to back off when they had the chance." Axel said.

Haseo removed his hand, before stepped up to the rail, and looking down at the excitement below.

"These guys have eliminated some of the toughest opponents that this Arena has ever seen…" he muttered, still starring down at them.

A loud buzzer sounded, and the two teams launched themselves at each other viciously; The Crystal Seraphim especially violently.

"Yeah, so what?" Axel asked, sticking his finger into his ear. "So, they're strong, big deal."

Haseo moved his head a little, just to see Axel, before looking back down at them.

"They're hacked." He explained.

"Wow, good job, Sherlock!" Eon exclaimed, clapping her hands exaggeratedly. "Now, will you tell us who killed Ms. Peacock, and with what?!"

Haseo sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"I _meant_ that something isn't right. Look at all of them; the _entire team_, Bad Boyz, are all hacked, just look at their weapons!" He explained, pointing.

Eon looked down, only to see that Haseo was right. Koji, Denki, and Hunter were all using weird weapons, just like Rei and _even_ Sijez! Koji was throwing _cards_ at players, and reloading his _deck_ every couple of seconds. Denki was using both a sword, in his right hand, and a spear in his left, and as for Hunter…? He had a _giant Long Bow!_ Rei, of course, had his Violin, which he was _hitting_ people with, as well as playing a few tunes, and either confusing characters, or making them fall asleep. Sijez had Dual Guns, just like Haseo… The _only_ one using a normal weapon was Aqua, as a Macabre Dancer!

Eon looked back up to Haseo, before narrowing her eyes.

"So they're all hacked, what's the problem?" She demanded, but Haseo only shrugged.

"Pi found out something interesting about all of those players." He stated, "All of them are in the same Guild, 'Hades'. She presumes that there is an active hacker among them." He explained. "But, _why_ they needed a hacker, is still unclear."

"So what?!" Axel demanded. "I _thought_ that it was our job to get _rid_ of AIDA! _Not_ get rid of hackers!"

"I know." Haseo said calmly. "But, right now, with AIDA reappearing, we don't even know why, or how it came back. Until we have _something_ to work on; towards, we cannot lend these guys a blind eye." He explained.

Eon's stomach churned painfully, but she nodded. Did Kuroha _really_ hack all of these people…? And if so, why?

"Hey look! Looks like they're gonna get pwned!" Axel chirped, grinning manically.

-

Aqua breathed hard. These guys were harder than she expected…then again, that's what happened when you face a team _ten_ levels higher than oneself.

"Damn…" She swore, as she just barely dodged the Blade Brandier, before narrowly jumping out of the Shadow Warlock's range. It seemed that they found out that _she_ was the one giving the shots to these teams, and now trying to take her out…fat chance…

Aqua held her fans together, and forced them out straight.

"Cover me!" She yelled, as Sijez moved instantly in front of her to absorb any oncoming attacks.

Aqua them took a deep breath, and shut her silver eyes, almost in meditation.

"Ge' outta da way!" The Edge Punisher yelled, as he hit Sijez hard with his Broad Sword.

Sijez howled in pain, but kept his position, and shot at him with his Dual Guns. He managed to catch him at a good angle, and hoist him into the air, so he was unable to get down, with continuous shots, but noticed the Brandier moving in as well. He shut his eye, ready for impact, but Denki launched himself in the way; Guarding with his sword and spear in an 'x' position.

"Sorry, but I can't let you though." He said with a grin, and pushed forward, before shooting both weapons out, and sending his opponent flying into the barrier.

Aqua had started to chant something, too quiet for the spectators to hear, before a light blue Aura began to surround her…

-

Haseo nearly launched himself over the railing in shock, as he starred at Aqua's new 'ability'.

"I-It can't be!" He yelled, starring in disbelief.

Axel starred in awe, before understanding what was going on.

"She isn't…!" She muttered.

_She is, numb nuts. _Ginny growled from his head.

"But…she can't use it against _normal_ players!" Eon cried, a look of horror on her face.

"I know…" Hikaru agreed. "But, we cannot stop it from here!"

Axel swore, as he watched Aqua open her eyes quickly, and pull back her fans in a graceful position.

It seemed that she had done this more than once before…

-

* * *

- 

Yippee! Another chapter done! Took me long enough. XP

Okay, sorry for the late update. I expected to do this in four days, but it ended up being a week… Darn zombies and paranoia! Also, I let Miffin edit this time, since, one, it was like, 3500 words longer than all of my older chapters. XP and two, over half of these new characters are hers! (Also, I paid her twelve cents to edit! XD)

So, what did you think? I would like to say, I personally liked writing about Hades. It seems like the _perfect_ clichéd Guild! (Yes, it is _supposed_ to be clichéd!) The Guild Master, who's name will not be released yet, has evil clichés down to an _ART_! XD

Also, for anyone that would like to say what Haseo's new _area_ Guild looks like, E-mail me, or Review a suggestion. I'm totally at a loss for that one. XP

So, I hope that you enjoyed this freakishly long chapter, and Good Night!


	8. Learning

Oh wow, can you guess? If you guessed another Disclaimer, than you're right! Give yourself a pat on the back!

.hack//G.U. and all of its characters do not belong to me.

Axel, Hikaru, Ginny, Aurum, Hunter and Kuroha do not belong to me, but Eon, Shiruba, Aqua, Sijez, Denki, Koji, Sora, and the overall plot all do. (Yippee…)

Okee Dokee, I want to thank everybody that is still reading this fic! You're all awesome! This chapter forward I'm just going with the flow, until I can pinpoint the exact times that they meet Explicants. Most of those have a definite timeline…so until then, please bear with me! I'll try as hard as I can to make it better than ever! (Reviews with suggestions are welcomed…)

Now, for all of you who are reading this part, you will now know what all of the Hacked classes are called!  
Koji: Trump Joker (Card user)  
Denki: Blade Partizan (Sword and Spear/Lance used simultaneously)  
Rei: Sorrowful Player (Viloin user)  
Sijez: Dual Gunner (Two hand guns)  
Hunter: Hunter (Long Bow)

Yes, Hunter is a Hunter. Isn't _great_?! XD I gave Miffin the idea for him...

**_The Kanji used on the first line of the story; Mizu (Water), Kasumi (Mist), Hi (Ice), Yuki (Snow)._**

So, without further ado, enjoy the next epic chapter of .hack//G.U.: Return!

-

* * *

-

**Chapter 8: ****Learning**

-

"水...霞...氷...雪..."Aqua murmured as a light blue aura surrounded her body, like a thin layer of water. A number of small feathers began to rain around Aqua as she continued to concentrate on the summoning. "Come, oh glorious beast of the heavens…"

Her party, as well as the 'Bad Boyz', suddenly turned tail and fled to behind Aqua, to the opposite side of the barrier; confusing their opponents who, could see nothing of this magnificent display…

-

"We've got to stop her!" Haseo howled, as he began to look for a way down to the arena, but there was no possible way in sight. The only way into the fight, would be to be forced in though a hacker, which he did not have at the moment, or to be participating in the first place…which was not an option either.

He swore as his crimson eyes flew back and forth, in a desperate attempt to come up with a way to stop this. _Any way…_

Hikaru's eyebrows furrowed as he spoke the next three devastating words.

"We're too late…"

-

Aqua had just unfolded her fans, and held them around herself, before putting their ends together, and making a small circle with them. Her silver eyes then shot open, as she bellowed the last few words of her call; a small, maniacal grin on her face as she did so.

"…with wings and heart of pure ice. Come, and devour those who dare stand in your path; _Sora!_" The Macabre Dancer cried, as the blue around her almost liquefied, and suddenly flew into the air, before raining down before her.

There was a moment of peace; as if nothing had happened at all. A moment that only those with the ability to see such creatures could both witness, and feel, before seven large pillars of water shot up into the sky, and began spiralling like a typhoon. The pillars soon began to increase their volume, and the water suddenly joined together inside of the giant whirlwind.

There was a large, shrill howl, before a pair of glowing red eyes gazed out of its stormy domain. The beast glared down at those that dared to oppose itself, as well as its host; its head weaving from left to right hypnotically to all those who could see it, as it loomed over its unsuspecting prey.

-

"_Damn it!"_ Haseo screamed from the railing; all close enough to hear him, moving their gaze to the enraged Emperor. Whispers began flaring up around the four of them, but Haseo ignored them and concentrated on the match below. His heart beat was matching only the enthusiastic cheering of the crowd.

Eon bit her lip, before looking up at what appeared to be a giant, Asian-styled dragon. Its body was long and mostly white, though instead of being covered in scales like Ginny or Aurum, this beast was covered mostly in a light layer of fur; a few scales visible throughout its body. Around the sides of its head, as well as the top, leading all the way down the gigantic beast's back, was a turquoise shade of long fur. 'Sora's' eyes were red and slit, and a large, pink nose was at the end of its snout. There were two long, white ears near the top of her head, similar to those of Shiruba, but without the flames, and red on the tips. She had two long, catfish-like whiskers in the middle section of her snout, leading down a few feet, to her overly long and thin body; also the same shade of white as the rest of her body. Her claws were long, and had four on each fore-claw; the feet had three each, and were a shining golden colour. On her back, was a pair of large, crystal wings; the same style of those of a Seraphim in old stories…no wonder their name was the 'Crystal Seraphim'… She had an intimidating grin on her face, as a long, curved canine tooth stuck out of her mouth, and she glared down at her prey, greed in her large, crimson eyes.

Eon shivered, and stepped away from the beast instinctively. For some reason, this beast terrified her…maybe because of its grin…? No…something else…

_Can you feel it, squirt…?_ Shiruba questioned suddenly, making Eon, as well as Axel, and even Hikaru jump in shock. _That is __Sora, Guardian of W__ater, as well as the Guardian Beast of the Delta Server._ She explained calmly.

Axel coughed loudly, in shock, before starring up as if he could see Shiruba.

"_That_ is the Beast for the Delta Server…?" He questioned.

_Yes, numbskull. That's what she said._ Ginny said coldly, but Axel ignored her, before pointing down at Sora with his index finger.

"_That_ does not look like a _hairy-eared, _Santa-fat beast to me!" He exclaimed, making even Haseo turn from the action to stare at the idiot.

"_What…_wait…I don't even _want_ to know…" He murmured, before turning back to Sora, as she slowly dispelled the typhoon, which the opposing team was struggling to stand up to.

Axel stuck out his tongue at Haseo, before pointing back at Sora.

"It isn't _anything_ like the Beast Statue! What are you trying to pull?!" He demanded; Hikaru and Eon nodded in agreement.

Shiruba sighed tiredly, but it was Aurum who answered.

_We said that the Beast Statues were modelled after __US__, but, n__o__t entirely…them…_ He tried to explain, though only received confused looks from the three.

_In other words, blame the CC Corp budget cut of '14._ Ginny explained angrily.

Axel and Eon were silent for a moment, before covering their mouths to hold back the laughter.

_Budget cuts?!_ What next? The abominable _Snowman…?_

-

Sora's head continued to wave from left to right gracefully, as she slowly stepped towards the opposing team. She opened her gapping mouth, and let out a long, sad howl, before slowly wrapping her tail around the opposing team; making sure not to touch them…yet…

Her gaze slowly lifted from the humans, who were looking around confused, or backing away in a desperate attempt to flee this strange phenomenon.

Just because they couldn't _see_ it, didn't mean that they couldn't hear it…nonetheless _sense_ something off…

Aqua had an almost _crazed_ look on her face. She glared at the opposing team, before holding her fans out to her sides, then flinging them open, and shooting them in front of herself.

"Yes, feast, Sora…" She murmured behind the fans.

The gigantic beast's gaze was still slowly moving away from the humans, and up through the stands, until it finally found their real target…

She let a small, crazed grin onto her face, showing all of her pearly white teeth, as she starred at the three Guardian Masters, and the Terror of Death himself. She slowly lifted her tail, before letting it slam into the ground, nearly hitting one of the Harvest Clerics that was trying to escape his fate. The impact, though not intended, caused a minor rumble throughout the entire Arena battlefield, making everyone, other than Aqua, and of course, herself, struggle to keep themselves standing.

-

Rei didn't even attempt to keep himself up, and simply fell face-first onto the ground. He didn't move for a moment, making Koji presume he was dead, before poking him hard with his index finger.

"Ow." He mumbled monotonously, though he did nothing to stop the Trump Joker's merciless prodding.

"Are you _sure_ this kid's reliable…?" He asked, before poking Rei hard in the head.

No reaction.

"I don't really know. Maybe he has an _on_ button!" Hunter exclaimed 'thoughtfully', earning himself a number of weird expressions from Sijez, Koji and even Denki…not to mention the random players within the audience who could hear him…

Sijez slapped his forehead in exasperation, before shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter if he's 'reliable' or not. It is up to the Guild Master, whether we keep him or not." He explained, holding one of his guns up, and scratching his head with it.

"_DUCK AND COVER!__"_ Hunter suddenly screamed, before tackling Sijez hard in the stomach and onto the floor, an inch away from the barrier.

"_What was that for, you b__astard?!"_ He demanded, as the Hunter slowly removed himself from the shorter boy's squished body.

"Oh, you were going to shoot yourself, so I stopped you." Hunter explained, dusting himself off.

"You _imbecile!_" Sijez howled, attempting not to shoot _him_ 'instead'. "_Why_ would I shoot myself?! Nonetheless, even if I _did_, it wouldn't kill me! This is 'The World', for Pete's sake!" He yelled.

Hunter looked up in thought for a moment, before saying '_oh_' in understanding.

"I thought that you were trying to kill yourself. Sorry 'bout that, squirt!" He apologized, though it did not help Sijez's new mood.

-

Haseo starred in horror as the Beast of the Water's crimson gaze moved towards them in a spiteful way.

_"Why is she looking at us?!"_ Eon hissed, as the large red eyes of the dragon slowly moved from one PC body, to the next.

"_I dunno!"_ Axel whispered back, as the beast starred at him, before moving on to Hikaru.

_She's scanning you._ Shiruba answered simply.

"Say what now?" Axel asked with a dumb look on his face.

Shiruba sighed again.

_In OTHER words, she's seeing if you are any threat to her. Considering how she ignored you three, __you're__ nowhere near her level._ The Beast of Fire explained to the trio.

"But how are we 'not near her level'?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"Yeah! We have Guardian's too!" Axel argued.

_Yeah, and have you ever actually summoned us…?_ Ginny asked harshly. _No. Only that brat has MANAGED to call ONE of us, AND it was a pathetic display, no less. I bet that you don't even know HALF of our abilities!_ The silver dragon explained.

"Of _course_ we don't!" Eon exclaimed. "I don't even know _how_ I called you in the _first_ place! You blame _us_ for being weak, yet don't ever explain anything! _That's_ unfair judgement!" She exclaimed.

_True, but you still never even TRY to train._ Shiruba explained.

"And _how_ exactly can we do _that_?!" Axel demanded.

_Simple, scrawny.__Unlike Avatars, the only two things that make us different, and slightly superior in that vision, __are__ that__ we can use the Data Cracking, a__nd, our ability to be called to normal fields for a short amount of time. Other than that, we're weak compared to them._ Ginny explained.

_This means that if you wish to even attempt to raise yourself towards Aqua and Sora's level, you will need to train on fields, whether AIDA or AIDA Explicants are present or not._ Aurum pitched in.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say…" Axel muttered, as he stuck a finger into his ear and twisted it.

Eon narrowed her eyes as she looked at Sora, before back up into the air, as if she could see the Guardians.

"How come she's so much stronger than us…?" She questioned.

There was an uncomfortable silence among everyone; Guardians and Masters alike, before finally, Aurum answered.

_She awoke earlier that you._ He explained. _You were all able to awaken just recently. Aqua, on the other hand, has been awake since the Cubia inci__dent, along with the Light and D__arkness__. They have had more time to train, and prepare…_

"Oh, so _we're_ the lazy bums here then." Axel said angrily, before throwing his hands into the air. "Hey, look at me! I'm a lazy bum that can't wake up in time for a world-changing event!" He said sarcastically, while making overly exaggerated drunken movements.

Eon and Hikaru giggled a little bit, but Shiruba interrupted.

_You THINK that you can just brush this off, like it is nothing?!_ She demanded strictly. _Sora is AGAINST you! Just look at her eyes! Something is different about her, than it was before we came to 'The World'._

_Got that right._ Ginny muttered.

"Yeah, well screw that. I don't wanna get forced into 'training'! Eon told us how much it hurt! Like _hell_ we're going to let you do that to us!" He yelled.

_Is that so…?_ Ginny asked, an air of interest in her voice. _Then I hope that you are prepared to become a 'Lost One', shorty, because if you refuse to call us, then we will have no choice but to either leave you, or force you to face AIDA Explicants with your OWN power; and I can assure you, it will not go __the way __you plan it to. Guardians are the mirrors of Explicants. We are hope. __They,__ are despair. __Whether you like it or not, AIDA, and Explicants will be drawn towards you, and will want to devour your bodies, AND your minds.__ Only THEN, can they really be considered whole. _She explained calmly.

"Yeah, and if you leave us?!" Axel demanded.

_Then your minds will not be able to handle the sudden amount of stress of an entire entity leaving it, and you will most definitely become a Lost One._ Aurum said solemnly.

Eon's stomach churned uncomfortably.

Either way, unless they did what they said, they'd be put into a coma…? What kind of rule was _that_?! They never even _wanted_ this in the first place! All that she wanted was to play 'The World' like a _normal_ player. To level up. To fight PKer's… to have a place to _enjoy_! Now she didn't even have _that _without the risk of becoming nothing more than another comatose victim!

She grit her teeth, and clenched her fists, before looking at Sora, whose eyes seemed to gleam mischievously.

_If I can't live in this World, like I used to…then…__then I won't lose to you!_ She vowed, narrowing her eyes at the beast.

As if Sora had heard her, her grin seemed to widen, as her head quickly snapped down from them, and to her prey. It was time to finish her job…

-

---------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: Raven-------------------------------

-

Yata grit his teeth together hard, before glaring at the screen before him.

Another Guardian had appeared…and by the looks of it, it seemed to notice, and even _expect_ G.U. to do something about its presence!

He swore loudly, ignoring Pi behind him. Now was not a time to hold his superior image. No matter how many times he attempted to input a code, a cheat…to _hack_ into the Arena and stop this match, all attempts failed. The area had been blocked off by all attempts with a multi-directional Hacking barrier! It must have been the work of the active hacker within Hades…but even so…why…? Above all of that, the area also seemed to be showing slight signs of AIDA. Where, he could not pinpoint exactly yet, but he knew that it was coming from within the battle right now.

"Master Yata; what do you want me to do?" Pi questioned, a determined expression on her face.

Yata looked down at the floating sphere in front of himself, but nothing came to mind. He had tried _everything_ that he knew about hacking to try to enter the area, but it was cut off! He had even contacted Zelkova, on Tartarga, but the youth had not been able to force himself though the barrier either…

If only Ovan were still here… Yata could not help but fantasize. The older man may have been the main reason for the last major outbreak of AIDA, all throughout The World, but at the same time, he was an experienced hacker. He himself created the Anti-AIDA case around his left arm, just to protect the rest of The World from the dangerous 'Tri-Edge' AIDA that resided on it. _He_, of anybody, would have been able to hack into it…but he was gone now. A Lost One, who sacrificed himself to save The World from AIDA. To rid it of the dangerous AI…yet his sacrifice was in vain. The AIDA had returned, and even stronger than ever… What was happening to The World? Where was Ovan when he needed him…? When The World needed him…?

"Master Yata…?" Pi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Yata's head shot up in shock, before he looked to Pi.

"We cannot do anything…only wait." He said, each word stabbing him like a needle. "We will recall all members of Operation G.U. after this match finishes…"

Pi slowly removed her hand from his shoulder, and held it to her chest for a moment, shocked by the decision, yet, at the same time, knew it was the only possible way.

"Understood." She murmured, before stepping back over to the monitor to the left of Yata. She stood staring at it patiently, as the fight continued behind her. Right now, she could not bear to watch. She already knew what the unfortunate outcome would be…

-

------------------------------------Lumina Cloth: Warrior Palace-----------------------------

-

Sora opened her gaping mouth, before letting out another long howl into the air. Her opponents cowered in fear, as the long, light wail could be heard echoing around the entire Arena; battle and stands alike.

Sora's eyes gleamed, as she moved her head back and forced her jaws to make a diamond shape. A large, shining blue orb appeared in her mouth; light cascading all around the arena, though appearing to be nothing more than the Aurora Borealis to all those who could not see the beast.

It was over in an instant.

Sora shot the orb from her gaping mouth, and it flew at her opponents at full speed; doubling in size every quarter of a second. The impact created a huge shockwave, instantly killing all of the enemies that managed to survive the first strike. The bodies fell lifelessly to the ground, as the Bad Boyz, and Sijez struggled to keep their ground, without flying into the barrier themselves.

Rei did not even bother to hold his ground, and went flying into the barrier, losing another good chunk of his health…again…

Aqua shut her fans, as her silver eyes gazed at the grey bodies of her prey. The large, crazed grin on her face seemed to grow until it stretched from ear to ear, as she looked up the stands, until her eyes rested on the familiar White Adept Rogue. Aqua pointed at him with her index finger; her eyes narrowed in contentment.

'_Come…'_ She worded, as she beckoned him to join into the fray. "_Come, and fight me…'_

-

Haseo gripped the railing so hard, that he could have sworn that it dented; not that he cared... He glared down at the cocky red-headed girl, as she slowly turned her back to him, and warped out of the Arena, as the commentator was attempting to make sense of what had just happened.

"Damn…" He muttered angrily, before punching the railing.

It really did dent this time.

"Okay, c'mon, Whitey-chan." Axel said, grabbing Haseo's shoulder hard. "It's time to go. Pee and Yappa are callin' us."

Haseo breathed hard out of his nose, before slowly nodding in agreement. He didn't even notice the short mail that Pi had sent him, from the 'interruption' of Aqua… He really didn't know what to think at the moment, but he couldn't help it. Did they _really_ want to fight _him_? If so, why…? Why did they want to fight _just _him? How did they even _know_ him?! Sure, he was a famous Arena Emperor, but still…why would they choose _him_ out of one hundred thousand players…? Could it be that they knew…? Maybe they knew about Skeith from Sakaki, from the last Tournament…but even so…did they really _want_ to fight Skeith?

Haseo closed his eyes, hard in thought, as he teleported with the other three into the main entrance of Lumina Cloth. He breathed a sigh though his nose, before opening his eyes, and following Axel to the Chaos Gate on the other side of the Root Town. This wasn't the time to be thinking about all of this. Pi and Yata probably already knew everything that had just happened, and called them all to figure something out…

He sighed again.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder, what life would be like if he never had Skeith. If he _wasn't_ an Epitaph User, and could play the game _normally…_ It would have been way less stressful. He knew that much…

-

----------------------------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore-------------------------------------------

-

"I am glad that you could all make it." Yata addressed them formally, as he stood in front of all of them. "As most of you probably know, we have located another Guardian, and its Guardian Master."

Everybody was looking at Yata. It was apparent that all of them knew what was happening, even if they had just logged in within the past ten minutes.

There were already ten posts on the BBS about the 'strange skill' that Aqua had used within the last Warrior Palace match, and others looking for _Lost_ friends.

The word stung Yata's stomach as he straightened his posture a little bit more.

"But, unfortunately, it appears that this 'Master' has other…allegiances…" He said, pushing his orange glasses up another inch.

Everybody was silent, and listening to him intently; even the ever-so-annoying Axel, and the spunky Eon were listening to every word hungrily, and watching his every movement like a scavenger.

Yata took a breath mentally, before continuing again; making it seem like he was pausing for suspense.

"Therefore, it appears that we must now become extra careful. It seems that the Guild, 'Hades', as it is called, is up to irregular activity of some sort, but, at the same time, it has yet to be proven. All that we know is that the Guild has an active hacker within its walls, as well as a Guardian and its Master." The Macabre Dancer explained, eyes narrowing behind his tinted glasses. "That is why, to gather information about this Guild, we, as part of Operation G.U., will be joining the Warrior Palace Tournament in rotations. Each Epitaph User will join with Team Haseo, at least once, to gain a number of WP Points. Haseo, Kuhn, and Atoli, all have one WP Point each, therefore adding to our overall chance of entering the Finals within the deadline of a week." Yata explained.

Various heads nodded, before the tanned Dancer began once more.

"The first party will be made of Haseo, Pi, and myself. The secondary team will be Kuhn, Atoli, and Sakubo. We are to enter into stream 'B', to avoid all contact with the 'Crystal Seraphim' and 'Bad Boyz' teams, until the Finals. After we have gained a total of twelve WP Points in all, then the next party will be Haseo, Kuhn, and Atoli. The secondary team will be Endrance, Sakubo, and myself. I will E-mail you to when we meet again, until that time comes." Yata explained, crossing his arms over his chest. "Understood?"

All of the Epitaph Users nodded their heads understandingly, but Eon looked to Axel, slightly confused.

"_Why didn't he ask us to fight…?"_ She whispered.

"_I don't know…"_ Axel whispered back.

They looked up to Yata eagerly, to see what sort of mission _they_ would get…but he said nothing.

The tall Macabre Dancer nodded his head, before shooting his arm out, towards the exit.

"All right, Team Haseo, and the secondary team will leave to Lumina Cloth. I will follow after I have given Endrance his orders." He said as strongly as he could.

Again, the Epitaph Users nodded their heads understandingly, and began to leave the Serpent of Lore in an orderly fashion.

Yata waited until all of the other Epitaphs Users were gone, before he opened his mouth to speak, but Axel cut him off.

"Hey, baldy! What about _us_?!" He demanded. "If you're _going_ to threaten to take our characters away, the _least_ that you could do is give us a mission!"

Yata smirked uncharacteristically, before stepped down towards them.

"I know that already. Why else do you think that I stayed behind?" He questioned.

Axel shrugged and gave him a 'pouty' face.

"To give _Endrance_ an order." He said.

Yata made a grunt with a cross of laughter, and anger.

"Tell me, Axel, did it _never _occur to you that Endrance was a part of your mission…?" He asked, looking over the orange rims of his glasses.

Axel stuck his tongue out, and made a loud 'Nya'!

"No. You just said _Endrance!_ Not _Axel and Endrance._" He complained. "Be more specific!"

Yata breathed though his nose, before looking at the four that stood before him.

One Blade Brandier, one 'Seraphim', and a 'Twin Blade' and 'Lord Partizan' (To his knowledge…).

"Before I give you your _own_ mission, I have a few questions that must be answered first." Yata said seriously.

Axel, who was previously making a mock 'talking hand', hid it behind his back immediately, before nodding, as if he was paying attention.

"Sure, Whaddya wanna know?" He questioned.

"First, what do you know about the Guardian, 'Sora'." Yata asked calmly.

Eon stepped forward to answer the question, before Axel could say anything stupid and/or immature.

"Sora's the Guardian for the Delta Server, as well as the Beast of the Water." She explained, holding her hand out in front of herself. "She's a big white dragon, as you've probably already seen, and is a lot stronger than us right now." She finished, distaste in her mouth from the final few words.

Yata nodded understandingly.

"I see…and why, may I ask, as she more powerful that your 'current selves'?" He asked, crossing his arms again.

"She woke up earlier than us." Axel answered, crossing his eyes to try to see the tip of his nose.

"Earlier…?" Yata questioned.

"Yes. _Earlier._ You know? Before _we_ did by, oh, a couple of _months_." He answered, having finally located his 'target'.

Yata narrowed his eyes for a moment, as he tried to digest this information, before nodding again, only a bit slower.

"She woke up earlier…but _why_ is she still so powerful?" He asked.

"Because she has had more practice with her host." Hikaru explained, making Eon jump.

She forgot that he was there…

"More practice…?" Yata inquired.

"Yes. Guardians get stronger when they work with their host, and both become able to match each other's movements." He explained calmly.

"So, in other words, if you were able to summon your Guardians, and 'train' with them, you would become 'stronger'…?" Yata asked.

"Yeeeeeeeeuuup." Axel said, finally uncrossing his eyes. "Ginny said that we're able to train on fields, or something like that."

_I am NOT Ginny, for the last DAMN TIME!_ Ginryuu howled, but Axel had obviously mastered the art of ignoring the giant silver beast.

A spark of interest lit up Yata's eyes underneath his lenses, as he nodded again in understanding.

"All right, that is all that I needed to know for now." He said, before looking over the four of them again. "All right, as for your mission…" He muttered, looking one final time. "You will learn how to summon and control your Guardians."

Axel stared at Yata for a moment, before bursting into hysterical laughter once again.

"_You_ want _us_ to summon _them_?!"He asked, laughing harder.

"That is what I said." Yata said calmly.

Axel took a few deep breaths, before looking back up to Yata.

"We've never summoned them before though." He explained.

"I am aware of that." He stated.

"Then _how_ are we supposed to _learn_ how, if we don't _know_?! That's like asking us to do the hardest algebra equation _ever_, and not even knowing _what_ algebra _is_!" Axel explained.

"That is why Endrance will come with you. I presume that summoning Guardians is not much different than summoning Avatars. He controls Macha: The Temptress. I believe that she is more than suitable for this task." The Macabre Dancer explained.

Axel gave Yata the 'pouty' face again.

"So, this means that I'm stuck studying…?" He asked.

"Yes."

"On a weekend…?"

"Yes."

"You suck."

Yata turned his head to Endrance, who had been silent the entire time.

"Endrance, are you willing to teach them how to call their Guardians?" He asked.

Endrance drew in a sharp breath, as he looked around at the three Guardian Masters that were now staring at him. There was silence all around. He grit his teeth together, as he tried to think of what to say. Of what to _do_! His finger lingered above the Short Mail option on his controller, but he was unsure if he really _should_ call Haseo…

The looks of curiosity were beginning to vanish, as Axel began to tap his foot on the ground anxiously, and Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows a little bit. Even Yata seemed to be narrowing his eyes as the Brandier could not come up with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

Endrance took another sharp breath as he looked down at his feet. He shut his eyes tight in thought in the real world, and began wondering if he should just plainly say 'no', if only to leave this awkward situation.

He barely felt the small tug on his tight sleeve, before noticing the short dog-girl next to him.

"You don't need to do it, if you don't want to." Eon said encouragingly. "I can try to teach them how to."

Endrance's expression turned from unsure, to shock, if only for a moment, before looking up to Yata strongly.

"I will do it…" He said, his voice a little shaky, but for the most part, certain.

That was right. If he said 'no' _now_, it would let them all down…let all of G.U. down. They could not have a number of strong, experienced Epitaph Users, and have all of their Guardian Masters, or Guardians weak and inexperienced. What would happen if more AIDA Explicants came…? Who would take them out if 'Data Cracking' was not an option…?

Yata nodded his head acknowledging, before turning back to the Guardian Masters.

"Alright. The total number of people that can join a party at once is three. That means that one of you will either need to go solo, join a party of two, and two, or not come at all." Yata explained.

Axel raised his hand instantly.

"I won't come!" He exclaimed, but Yata shook his head instantly.

Axel stuck his tongue out at him, before muttering rude things under his breath.

"I believe that it is best if Axel and Hikaru join Endrance for now. As for you, Eon, you have a choice to stay or go." He said calmly.

Eon looked up in thought for a moment, before looking at Endrance, and back to Yata.

"I think that I'll sit this one out, for now." Eon said, giving Endrance a sorry and sympathetic look. "I have things to do today."

"I understand." Yata lied. "Then, you will join Pi after we have switched rotations in the tournament." He said.

Eon nodded her head understandingly, before turning around to face the exit.

"Okay then. I'll come back tomorrow, then. Jya ne." Eon bid, as she raced out of the room.

The remaining four watched her leave, before Axel and Hikaru turned to Endrance.

"Okay, El Ca-pi-tan, here's my Member's Address, and Hikki's! Make a party with us, and let's get this bore over with!" He exclaimed, glaring at Yata, who was in view in the corner of his eye.

Endrance nodded calmly, and did so.

Axel and Hikaru selected 'yes' when the Party Invite screen came up, before turning to Yata. "Okay, we're going now, Mr. Rogers. See ya later!" Axel bid Yata farewell, with extreme amounts of sarcasm, before racing out as well. Hikaru slowly followed him out, and Endrance coming after him last.

Yata watched them leave for a matter of seconds, before closing his eyes slowly. He took a long breath, and breathed it out through his nose, before opening his eyes again.

Sometimes, it was hard being the leader of G.U...

-

---------------------------------------Sigma Flying Hunted Beast--------------------------------------

-

"Okay, so how do we call our Guardians?" Axel asked bluntly as they arrived to their new destination.

It was a Field-type area, with a fair number of enemies, strong enough to put up a decent enough fight against themselves.

Endrance looked up at the full moon calmly, taking in all of the details in this magnificent, beautiful field. The sky was almost completely empty, other than the large glowing yellow sphere for the moon, and a few small, grey clouds, littered in various places. The sky was a blue-violet colour, resembling the time of day just before dawn breaks. There were a number of small, Chim-Trees within the area, and a few large hills, overlooking the area. They were surrounded by the ocean, as all field areas were; the gentle sound of waves, washing up onto the shore, rushing into his ears.

He turned to his two new companions, before motioning the area.

"To summon an Avatar, it is different for everybody." He explained, attempting to get them to understand. "For me, it is the beauty within this World, which allows me to call forth Macha. For others, like Haseo, though, it is the sheer will to fight, that allows him to call Skeith. To fight on, even against the odds."

"Yeah, yeah, pretty-boy." Axel said rudely, already bored with his lecture. "So people summon _Avatars_ different ways. What about _Guardians_?"

Endrance shook his head slowly, before pointing at the nearest team of monsters. There were two Chirpee-type beasts, and a large red Grasshopper-like Beast following them around in a circle.

"Since we do not really know how to call your Guardians, we will start with a simple task, of eliminating monsters. You said that you are able to talk with them, correct…?" Endrance asked, receiving a nod from both. "Then during the fight, you must ask them how to be called."

"Whoa-ho-hoa!" Axel said, making a 'stop' motion with his hands. "_During_ the fight?!" He demanded.

"Yes. From what it sounded like, during our discussion with Yata, it seemed that they can only be called during a time of need. What better way than to ask for their help in battle, and purposely allowing yourself to be open?" Endrance explained.

Axel looked to Hikaru for a moment, but the taller boy nodded in agreement. What Endrance said _seemed_ probable enough…

"Okay then, whatever you say, dude." Axel murmured, before racing up to the enemies, and beginning the battle immediately.

He did not even bother to use a Sneak Attack.

The large Grasshopper jumped towards Axel instantly, as it saw the Twin Blade pull out his weapons. Instinctively, Axel held them up to guard, only to hear Endrance call out to him to stop.

"_Damn it…_" Axel muttered, as he pushed the Grasshopper back, and put his weapons away. "Hey, Ginny! We could _really_ use your help right about now!" He said, narrowly dodging the giant bug, who had just attempted to jump on him.

_Heh, why the __h__ell should I do that, Sparky…?_ She asked, seeming to enjoy the helpless sight of Axel.

_BECAUSE, I am in TROUBLE! DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?!_ Axel demanded mentally.

_Hell i__f I care._ Ginryuu stated with a snarl.

_You __stinkin__' lil' b__astard!_ Axel swore. _You SAID that we needed to summon you, and yet you pull this crap?!_

A small grunt came from within Axel's head.

_Of course.__ Why would I let someone that can't even say GINRYUU summon me?!_ She demanded.

_Come ON! I call you __Ginny__ 'cause it SOUNDS better, and is SHORTER! If you wanna pull this garbage, then forget about ever becoming stronger than that stupid furry dragon!_ Axel explained.

There was an indignant grunt, before Ginny spoke again.

_I can__ beat the fur off of that lil' b__astard whenever I feel like it!_ She howled.

_Then WHY won't you come out…?_ Axel thought, taking Ginny's sudden change in mood to his advantage.

_'CAUSE YOU'RE AN IDIOT!_ Se howled again.

_No, I think that YOU'RE just AFRAID, that some NORMAL monste__rs are __goin__' __ta__ whoop __yer__ Big. __Dragon. __Ass._ Axel mused.

Ginny roared within Axel's head, nearly making him fall over as the Grasshopper pounced at him again. He narrowly dodged, a little _too_ close to the barrier for his comfort, before racing away from the now diving Chirpee 'Uncle' as it was called.

_I'll show you, you b__astard!_ Ginny howled. _Call me out, or I'll kill you!_

_Okay, how then? Or did you forget how to do THAT too?_ Axel asked, enjoying this, yet also wondering how she could kill him from within his head in a _game_…

_How the __h__ell do you THINK you need to call me?! Get MAD, you Bastard!_ Ginny Demanded.

_…Mad…?_

_Yes. MAD! Angry! Ticked off… PISSED!_

_I…see…_ Axel thought, before looking at the Grasshopper.

"Mad you say…? I'll show you _mad_…Come here you lil' Grasshopper…don't worry…I just want to play…"

-

Hikaru did not have his weapon out either, but he was not doing so well on the whole…'dodging part'…

"Ow…That was not very nice…" He said calmly, as he tried to step away from the Chirpee that was still continuously bombarding him.

_Um…why are you not dodging…?_ Aurum asked, slightly concerned.

"Oh no. Voices…! Ah!" Hikaru 'cried' out.

Aurum was silent for a few more seconds, until the Chirpee hit Hikaru once more.

_Erm…why don't you summon me, INSTEAD of all of this…not…dodging…?_ He asked.

"Oh. Why didn't you say so…?" Hikaru asked.

_Because I thought that you came here to summon me…_ Aurum answered.

It was Hikaru's turn to be silent now.

"Oh yes. I believe that _is_ the reason…" He said calmly.

Aurum sighed, before speaking again.

_All right then. To summon me, you do not need to concentrate on any specific thing._ He explained.

"Oh." Hikaru mumbled, before getting hit again. (Not that it mattered with his abnormally high defence stat, because of his thick, white armour.)

_Okay then. Think of something._ Aurum commanded, though not strictly.

"I need to go washroom." Hikaru stated monotonously.

There was silence all around the field, as he said those five words. Even the _monsters_ seemed to stop attacking, if only for a second after receiving the…unneeded information.

_Um…NOT like that…_ Aurum said, attempting to come up with words.

"But you said that I did not need to concentrate." Hikaru stated.

_No, I didn't say THAT…I said that you don't need to think of any specific thing._ The golden dragon explained.

"…What…?"

Aurum sighed again.

_All right, maybe __a __change in words…do__ you know what it feels like to want to protect somebody…?_ He questioned.

"Oh. Like that baby squirrel that was eaten by that cat. The poor thing." Hikaru said.

If Aurum were visible, there would be a _large _sweatdrop on his head right about now…

_Erm…o…__kay__ then…erm… why not just think__ of protecting Axel…?_ He nearly begged.

"Oh. Why didn't you say so…?" He asked.

_I didn't think that it was something that need__ed__ to be said…_ Aurum muttered.

Hikaru moved his head down, as if in deep concentration; ignoring the _still_ bombarding Chirpee. He took in the sounds around him. The waves hitting the shore. The sound of the clanking of metal from Endrance's sword. The maniacal laughter that Axel was now making as he continuously stabbed the poor, giant grasshopper …

He slowly clenched one of his fists, and then the other, before lowering his head and neck a tiny bit more. Hikaru clenched his eyes shut a little bit harder, before suddenly feeling _warmer._

It was a nice feeling. Calm, yet restoring, almost. He allowed his grin to grow a tiny bit more, as he could feel a large, warm body around him.

_You can feel it…? You can feel me, here, by your side…?_ Aurum asked.

Hikaru slowly nodded, instead of speaking, or risk breaking the tranquillity.

_That is good._ Aurum stated, as he moved his long neck around Hikaru's left side, in front of the Chirpee. _Now there is only one thing left for you to do. Open your eyes. Open them Hikaru, and see what I see. Know what I know. BECOME a part of me._

Hikaru slowly forced his blue eyes open, just to see the giant dragon at his side.

"_Good." _Aurum stated, and with a powerful swipe of his fore claw, he slammed the Chirpee into the Barrier,instantly killing the beast.

-

Axel had now shut his eyes, while riding the giant grasshopper like a bull at the rodeo.

_Okay, pipsqueak._ Ginny murmured. _Concentrate on your anger__. FEEL the blood in your veins BOIL! Let it fuel you, AND me…_

Axel's grin kept on growing as he thought of all of the things that pissed him off.

School…homework…smart people…Yata…monsters…Ginny…Wait…should that one really be here…?

He barely noticed the strange, cool feeling that came over him, before an almost plummeting feeling followed.

_That's right! Just a little more, squirt!_ The silver dragon howled.

Axel could now feel a cool pair of metal wings near his body now, and a long, scaly tail slowly wrapping around him.

Teachers…onions…the cold…_p__ink_!

"_Per__fect…"_ Ginny said, as there was a light rumble, as she landed behind Axel. "_Now, finish it, Axel…OPEN __yer__ eyes. SEE me!"_ She demanded.

Axel's eyes flew open instantly, as his head raised up, to see the gigantic beast.

Ginny grinning manically, showing her large set of pure white teeth, the only non-silver part of her entire body. She lifted her foot, and as if he understood her intentions completely, Axel hopped off of the bug, and onto her supporting leg, as she crushed the monster under her giant foot.

"_That will teach the bastard._ " She mumbled.

-

Endrance stared at the two dragons before him. One, completely silver, and the other, almost completely gold. He put away his sword, and watched the two beasts gracefully destroy the last two monsters within the barrier.

He moved his attention to the larger one first; the golden one. It's body was almost completely golden, other than it's under stomach area, and under its neck, which was a pale yellow. He had large, circular scales, all around his body, and a pair of large, golden, slit eyes, which calmly gazed around the battle field for any threats. On his back were a pair of bat-style, golden wings, folded over in flaps, and resting along his spine. He stood on all fours, but he appeared to have the ability to be bipedal as well, if necessary. His snout was flat at the end, and his tail ended to a rounded point. He seemed to take in everything calmly, unlike the other dragon summoned…

The second dragon was smaller than the male, but was completely silver, other than her white teeth, and intimidating green, slit eyes. Her scales were large and round, but her snout was more rounded than the male's. Her wings were a similar bat-like style as the golden dragon's, but extended above, and even out of the barrier. Her long, silver tail was wrapping around the inner part of the barrier, nearly forcing it to expand, or break, and her large, sliver claws, her stretched out as she quickly jumped and stomped from enemy to enemy. Her host, Axel, enjoying every second of it.

"Yee-haw! Ride 'em Ginny!" Axel yelled, having climbed up, onto the dragon's back, and was now enjoying the 'stomp-o-thon'.

The barrier quickly banished as 'Ginryuu' finished squishing the final Chirpee.

"_Showed you __who's__ boss, damn bird."_Ginryuu growled, before extending her legs comfortably. Those little barriers were not made for seventeen stories-worth of dragon…

Aurum also stretched himself, before lowering his neck down to Hikaru's level.

"_Well done._" He stated calmly.

Hikaru nodded cheerfully at the complement, but said nothing.

"Hey, what about _me_?! Did _I_ do good too, Ginny?!" Axel demanded.

"_Hell no.__ You just thought of things that pissed you off."_ She murmured.

A large fizzle appeared over Axel's PC body's head.

"But that's what you _told_ me to do." He complained.

"_Yeah, well you did it wrong anyways."_ The dragon growled, before turning her attention to the next nearest party of monsters; a large Goblin, and two larger frogs.

Axel glared at Ginny, before turning to Endrance.

"Okay, Endy, what now?" He asked.

Endrance flinched in shock from his new 'nickname', before looking up to the dragons, and back to the party of monsters.

"I would presume that we must fight all of the monsters in the area, to become any stronger with your Guardians." He explained.

"_No freaking duh."_ Ginny muttered, before stomping over to the party, who seemed to be running away from her, rather than towards…

_"This is gonna be fun…"_

-

-------------------------------------Lumina Cloth: Registration Counter--------------------------------------

-

Haseo tapped his foot impatiently. How long did it take to give _one_ person orders?!

Kuhn patted the back of his hair awkwardly.

"C'mon Haseo. You don't need to scowl, as if we've been here for an hour…" The Steam Gunner said, attempting to calm the agitated Adept Rogue.

"Oh, I know that we haven't waited an hour. Only _half_." Haseo explained sadistically, as the tall Macabre Dancer slowly approached them.

"I apologize for being late." He stated calmly.

"Yeah right." Haseo muttered angrily, before turning back to the receptionist AI, and registering Yata as a part of his team.

"Okay, we're registered. Let's get this over with." Haseo said as he approached the Warp Panel.

It was time to gain some WP…

-

"An Emperor from the past, struggles to keep his throne, as an unnamed force attempts to steal it away from him! He is back folks, for all of you who have been waiting! The previous Sage Palace Emperor, Haseo, has returned to take another throne!" The commentator howled into his microphone, as wails of cheer from the crowd echoed around the Arena Stadium.

Haseo could not help but allow himself a smug grin. He was possibly the most famous person in the entire 'World', only because of his feats in the Arena. He really had AIDA, and G.U. to thank for that…not that he really needed the fame; considering all of the strange fan-girl posts he'd seen on the BBS…

"All right guys. Are you ready…?" Haseo asked, looking over his shoulder to the rest of his team, and the Secondary team, 'Team Kuhn'.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Haseo!" Kuhn cheered, as he pulled out his gun, and mock aimed it at the captain of the other team, making a 'whoom' sound, as if he shot.

"I-I'll do my best, Haseo!" Atoli stuttered, as she clutched her staff close to her body.

"I'll do my best too, Big brother Haseo!" Bo said shyly, sticking a finger into his mouth, before pulling out his spell book.

"Let's complete this mission." Pi said calmly, as she began to hop back and forth on the balls of her feet, ready.

"Yes. Let us begin." Yata murmured quietly, as he pushed his glasses up his nose again, and stared at his opponents calmly.

Haseo grinned.

"All right then. Let's start this party then…" Haseo murmured with a maniacal grin, scaring a good chunk of the other two opposing teams. "_Let's go!_"

Haseo launched himself at the nearest enemy as soon as the battle began; ripping out his twin blades, and holding back the Blade Brandier easily. He suddenly feinted to the right, before ducking towards the left, and smashing up at him. The poor guy didn't know what hit him, as he suddenly switched his weapon to his Broad Sword, via the Skill Trigger, and used Armour Pierce.

The Brandier fell to the floor lifelessly, as Haseo jumped at his next target; a Harvest Cleric that Pi was already beating up with her Tiger Strike technique. He quickly smashed the attack button, and slammed her into the barrier, before Pi finished her long combo with one more devastating punch, which finished her off.

_Okay, two down…_ Haseo thought, the adrenaline rushing to his head, as he wheeled around, just in time to block an Edge Punisher's attack.

"Kuhn!" He called, as the Steam Gunner turned his attention from a small Shadow Warlock, and aimed at the large Beastman.

"Thunder Spark!" Kuhn yelled as he shot the attack to his back.

The Beastman roared in agony, before attempting to cleave Haseo in half one more time.

Atoli wouldn't have that though.

"Ap Do!" The Harvest Cleric called, as she raised her staff. A small, green circle flew to Haseo's feet, as the Adept Rogue suddenly dodged away from the Edge Punisher easily.

"Thanks Atoli." Haseo called as he ripped out his scythe, and used Lotus Flower on the unfortunate beast.

He went flying across the field and into the barrier on the other side, only to be suddenly smashed be one of Bo's spells, 'Or Vak Don'.

A series of small fireballs rained down and smashed the poor player multiple times, before finally, a giant fireball hit him, instantly killing him.

Haseo turned his attention to the Shadow Warlock which was now giving Pi a bit of trouble, on the other side of the field, where she was attempting to hammer a second Harvest Cleric into the floor.

He raced towards her, pulling out his twin guns as he did so, and shot her in the back; a medium distance away.

The Warlock screamed in shock, as she was hoisted into the air, and unable to protect herself from any oncoming attacks.

"Hey, Yata!" Haseo howled to the Macabre Dancer, who turned his attention from a short Flick Reaper; allowing Kuhn to take over for him, alongside Bo.

He nodded his head in understanding, before casting 'Rue Kruz' on her. The attack hit head on, as Haseo temporarily stopped himself to reload his guns, before dashing towards her on the decent, only to smash her back up again.

"Thorn Shot!" Kuhn yelled from behind Haseo, as another tech attach hit the Shadow Warlock, finishing her off.

Haseo stopped shooting immediately, before reloading his guns again, until he was suddenly hit from behind by the Flick Reaper, who had managed to get out of Bo's attack range.

He shut his eyes at the Reaper hit him a number of times, before finishing off with 'Reaper's Dance', leaving Haseo's health in critical.

"Damn…" He swore, as he watched the Harvest Cleric, who was just barely hanging on, cast 'Ol Repth' on the Reaper, and he used a 'Revival Medicine' on the Edge Punisher. The Beastman instantly rose, before racing towards Haseo at full speed. Haseo just barely managed to dodge him, holding his side tightly, as he waited for Atoli to finish her healing spell.

"La Pha Repth!" She announced, as multiple balls of blue light flew to each of the Epitaph Users, restoring half of their Full HP, because of the Healing restrictions.

Haseo flashed a thankful look over his shoulder to her, before racing to the Flick Reaper. Time to take this guy out…

-

-----------------------------------------Sigma Flying Hunted Beast-------------------------------------

-

Axel was whistling, and it wasn't the 'Star Wars' theme from however long ago that was made… No, he was whistling _cheerfully_. Not because he had just finished beating every monster in this area. Not because Hikaru was here. Not even because he just took out three unfortunate PKee's. Nope. It was because he had just done _all_ of those _with_ Ginny! ...well…except for the last one…Endrance wouldn't let him…spoil-sport…

"Good job, Ginny! I feel stronger all ready!" Axel laughed.

"_Don't call me that, you damn imbecile!" _She hollered, making the ground around them tremble a tiny bit.

"Okay, okay, _Ginryuu_. Good job!" He mused.

"_You were expecting LESS?!"_ The temperamental dragon yelled.

Another small earthquake…

"Not really, but it was _awesome_!" Axel said, grinning. "You went like, 'boom', and then 'bam', and 'kaboom-boom'!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"_Whatever you say, idiot."_ Ginny muttered.

"Right back at you, stupid!" Axel said cheerfully.

Ginny stopped walking, and slowly turned her head down, towards Axel.

"_WHAT, did you just call me…?" _She asked dangerously.

"Oh no…Axel! Do not—" Hikaru warned.

"Stupid." Axel said bravely.

Hikaru sighed exasperatedly, as Ginny roared in furry, before attempting to squish the lot of them with her giant feet. Aurum had to restrain her…

"_I apologize for Ginryuu…"_ Aurum said, as Ginny slammed her head into his chin hard.

"_Get off of me, you damn lug!"_ She howled.

"_Yes…we will be leaving now…"_ Aurum stated as calmly as he could, as the two of them suddenly vanished into a pair of spheres, which quickly retreated into their hosts; the silver one slapping Axel once hard before going into his chest.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, before Axel finally broke the silence.

"…Was it something I said…?"

Hikaru slowly put his head into his hand, and Endrance sighed exasperatedly.

"Let's…just go back to Lumina Cloth, and meet up with the others…" He suggested.

Hikaru nodded in agreement, and Axel only shrugged.

"Whatever you say, El cap-i-tan." He muttered, before racing towards the blue Warp Panel.

Finally…this 'training session' was over…

-

------------------------------------Lumina Cloth: Registration Counter-------------------------------------

-

Haseo stepped out of the Warp Panel cheerfully. Considering their level, that team was somewhat of a challenge! He stretched his arms up high, before _grinning!_

"That was good work, guys." He said, turning around for them to see his face.

The Steam Gunner stepped back in shock.

"H-he's _smiling_!" He yelled in shock, nearly falling over his two feet.

Haseo's smile turned back to a frown, as he glared at Kuhn.

"_I_ can smile sometimes _too_, you know." He explained angrily.

"I _know_! That's what makes it _scary!__"_ Kuhn said, before noticing Endrance approach with Axel and Hikaru behind him.

"Hey, Endrance! How's it going? What was your mission…?" He asked, trying to get off of the 'happy' subject.

Endrance blinked for a moment, before looking to Yata, unsure if he was supposed to tell anyone about their 'mission'.

The Macabre Dance calmly nodded his head, and Endrance opened his mouth to speak, but Axel cut him off.

"He taught us how to call our _Guardians!__"_ he announced proudly.

"Really…?" Haseo asked, surprised.

"Yes." Hikaru stated.

"Wow, that's wonderful, you two!" Atoli exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, isn't it?!" Axel asked, looking around at all of the Epitaph Users.

"I guess." Haseo muttered, unsure of what to say.

"Indeed, it is a good feat, for one day." Yata added.

"Yeah…by the way…did you guys finish _your_ mission?" Axel asked, interested.

"Yeah, just barely though." Haseo said. "The last party wasn't a push-over…" He explained.

"That, or you all suck." Axel said without thinking, earning himself multiple glares. "Okey dokey then, if you don't need us anymore, Hikki and me are Logging Out!" Axel suddenly announced, and without a second for possible argument, he and Hikaru vanished in a spiralling flash of cyan light.

"Those two have the right idea." Haseo muttered, stretching again. "I'm Logging Out too."

With another flash of spiralling light, Haseo's PC body vanished as well, followed by Endrance, Kuhn, and Atoli. Sakubo was the last to Log Out, leaving Pi and Yata in the cold streets of Lumina Cloth alone. There were no other players, as they were all watching the newest 'Crystal Seraphim' match in the Warrior Palace Tournament.

Pi turned to Yata, but it was him who spoke first.

"Pi, for tomorrow, your mission is the same as Endrance's was today…" He said, his back facing her. "You are to train the player 'Eon', how to summon her Guardian, like the other two have learned today."

"Understood." The Tribal Grappler said calmly. "Is there anything else, Master Yata…?" She questioned.

Yata was silent for a long moment, before looking over his shoulder to her.

"You said that you saw something else on that character's personal data, correct…?" He questioned.

"Yes." Pi said, though not as sure as she would like to be. It was only there for a second, then gone then next…

"I see…your mission will also include getting that information as well, then…" Yata stated, before turning to the Chaos Gate, and beginning to walk towards it at a leisure pace.

Pi was quiet for a long time, just watching Yata leave. Once the light blue ripples had vanished around the tall Macabre Dancer, so slowly walked over to the railing at the side, and leaned against.

"That is my mission…huh…?" She asked herself, starring into the blue-violet sky of Lumina Cloth. She shut her eyes, and let herself relax.

If what she saw in that data was true…it could put all of operation G.U. in jeopardy…not to mention, the girl as well…

-

* * *

- 

Well, how was that? Wasn't Aqua's summon-speech sucky? I know! I tried so hard! XP This chapter ended up being 9600-some words in all…I knew it…these chapters ARE getting longer! DRATS! ...oh well. That just means that I'll be typing a lot more…

Well, I wonder if any of you can guess what Eon's secret is…? Throughout the chapters, if you look _very_ carefully, you_ might_ see it… (Though, it is never actually outwardly said or shown...) If not, I guess that you'll find out _next_ chapter…

Again, reviews are welcome, as well as some suggestions.


	9. Secrets

Yippee, chapter _nine_! What a feat?! As for the disclaimer;

.hack, .hack characters, and anything to _do_ with .hack do _not_ belong to me. I just wrote the story. XP

Woody Wood Pecker does not belong to me either. I just used his laugh… 'cause it sounds funny…

Axel, Hikaru, Ginny, Aurum, Kuroha, Rei, Hunter, and 'The Guild Master' all belong to Miffin. Don't take them, or else she'll hurt me…

Eon, Shiruba, Aqua, Sora, Sijez, Koji, and Denki all belong to me, as well as the plot for this story. Yay.

Whoo, now you get to learn Eon's secret! Lucky you! For all of you who may be wondering, this 'secret' comes from Eon's original storyline (My characters' story) to a certain extent. If anyone wonders why, feel free to ask. I'm not going to write it all in here.

Later on in this Chapter, Shino appears too…For everyone who's wondering, I do NOT use her much, thus, Haseo never saw her that much either. XP (My normal party switches between Atoli, Endrance, and Zelkova)

Also, later, you get to all see the 'Avenger's' _true_ form…and no, I don't mean Tarvos…that is all that I will say now…

Now, for the next wonderful chapter of this fic; Chapter 9: Secrets. Enjoy!

-

-

**Chapter 9: Secrets**

-

Kuroha stepped though the snow lightly; his eyes scanning everywhere around him. Even with all of the searching and scanning systems that he had installed into his character, he could never be too sure if somebody was really following him or not. There were times, when it felt like there was a ghostly presence around him; even if it _was_ just a game…

He breathed out silently, watching the white condensation from his breath slowly float away, and vanish into nothingness. He shut his eyes for a moment, before opening his inventory, and selecting the 'Hades' Home key, and used it to unlock the door before him. There was a light 'click', and the door swung open for him noiselessly, before he finally entered the black abyss of the Guild.

Kuroha had to let his eyes adjust, before he could finally see though some of the pitch black; just enough to make out the long, circular table, and the nearest doorways. He quickly crossed the sunken floor, and to the largest doorway; 'home' of his Guild Master. He took a deep breath, and paused. His feet seemed to stick to the ground, as if glued; this happened every time... He looked into the deep, black abyss, beyond the doorway, and couldn't help but gulp in a small sense of fear. He _knew_ that he was just called. He _knew_ that he had to enter…but still…why did it feel so cold for him in there…? He _himself_ created this entire area! So why…?

Kuroha grit his teeth together, before blinking hard, and shaking his head.

_This is no time to be fantas__izing about creepy ghost stories or zombies!_ He told himself, shaking his head hard one more time. _I have a job to do…so get in there!_

Kuroha took one final, deep breath, before forcing himself to step though the large opening; faking a serious expression on his face.

-

Kuroha had to shield his eyes with his fist, as soon as he entered his Guild Master's domain. The lighting difference was extreme, considering how dark the main section of the Guild was. It took him a matter of seconds, before he could finally see well enough to move, and he stepped towards the taller man.

He was facing the opposite direction of Kuroha; starring into the extreme light source of the room. He did not turn to face him, only crossing his arms behind his back leisurely.

"Welcome." He stated calmly.

Kuroha nodded silently, instead of responding.

The tall, navy-blue haired man allowed a small grin to emerge onto his face, before looking over his shoulder at the hacker-child.

"I must say, you have outdone yourself this time, Kuroha." He said coolly, before gesturing the light source.

Again, Kuroha only nodded silently. He did not wish to say anything, or risk angering him; he still did not even know _why_ he was called here today…

The man allowed himself to make a light, cheerful grunt, before closing his eyes, as if thinking.

"I believe that you remember giving those three some…technology…?" He questioned, slowly opening his eyes as he spoke. "The…ability to stop hackers from stealing their data…?"

"Yes." Kuroha finally typed. "But, it does not stop _this_ device from doing so." He attempted to soothe him.

"Ah, yes, I am already aware of that." He said, brushing a bang away from his right eye. "That is not what I am worried about today."

Kuroha cocked an eyebrow, bewildered.

_He didn't call me here to c__omplain, or for tuning…? Then…__why else could I be here…?_ He wondered.

"No, what I am worried about today, is not so…frivolous, Kuroha." He stated, before turning a serious gaze towards the small Steam Gunner.

Kuroha's blood turned to ice from the gaze. It was similar to that, of the feeling of the 'ghost' before…but at the same time, more…deadly…

"Then what is it?" Kuroha typed, almost thankful that he did not speak, or risk showing his fear.

The Guild Master took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh, before turning to face Kuroha completely; his hard gaze scanning every inch of him.

"Today, I believe that one of the players is in danger of losing some _valuable_ information." He said strictly, his eyes narrowing. "That is why, I wish for you to dispose of the threat."

Kuroha starred at him, baffled.

"What?!" He demanded. "Isn't that job left to someone like Aqua, or preparations left up to Denki?!" The Steam Gunner asked.

"I do not wish for Aqua, or any other part of 'Crystal Seraphim' to get involved into this today; that is why I am asking you to do it. I believe that I can trust you more, than some of my less competent Guild Members; nonetheless, I give you Hunter to use to your disposal. Koji and Denki are busy on a different mission." He explained, his eyes seeming to glow in the artificial light. "Can I trust you to do this…?"

Kuroha did not move for a moment, thinking of what all of this meant. For one of them to be in 'danger' of losing their information, it must have meant that G.U. had managed to hack their character too far; if only a glimpse of some important stuff. He had to admit, he already knew everything that there was to know about all three of the Guardian Masters…but even so, if G.U. interfered now, that could cause their Guild more trouble than he would like…

"All right. Where do I need to go?" He asked, determination in his eyes. There was no way that he'd let a foolish Guild like G.U. get the better of him…especially not today…

The blue-haired Guild Master grinned at the boy, eyes glinting.

"That is good to hear, Kuroha. As for the area…"

-

---------------------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku---------------------------------

-

Kuroha stepped out of the Home, before finally allowing himself to shiver all over. He'd been holding it in the whole time…

He quickly blinked to get use to the white of the snow around him, before opening up his menu, and selecting the 'Short Mail' command, as a normal Player would choose.

**'Come to Saal Haku. I have a mission for you.'** He typed bluntly, before selecting the 'send' command.

Kuroha had to wait a total of three minutes and forty three seconds before Hunter showed up to the server, a few inches away from the Chaos Gate.

"You rang…?" The cowboy asked.

Kuroha rolled his eyes.

"As stated in the E-mail, I have a mission for you." Kuroha explained.

Hunter rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"What kind of mission is it…?" He asked. "Can I hunt?!"

Kuroha had to use all of his willpower to force himself not to rub the bridge of his nose. This man was too simple minded for his own good...

"In a sense, yes." Kuroha started, but was interrupted with the sudden cheer, which Hunter did quite loudly. Kuroha glared at the man, before continuing. "Your mission is to secure the target, Eon, and make sure that no valuable information is lost to the enemy. You are to destroy the target, the G.U. member, whichever one is with her." He explained.

"Oh, so I take out the kid." Hunter muttered, rubbing his chin. "But I thought that you _didn't _want me to do that…"

Kuroha slapped his forehead. Hard.

"No! I _said_, that you are to secure the target, and destroy the G.U. member!" Kuroha typed angrily.

"So…you wish to _employ_ me to take out a kid…?" Hunter asked, as Kuroha explained his job again.

Kuroha sighed exasperatedly.

"For the _third_ time, you are to _destroy_ the G.U. member with the target, known as _Eon_! You are to leave _EON_ alone, and _KILL_ the target!" Kuroha explained furiously.

"So I kill the kid?" Hunter asked again.

"_For the love of AURA! You. Are. An. Idiot!_" Kuroha typed angrily.

Hunter furrowed his eyebrows, hurt.

"I'm not an idiot!" He said. "I'm just dense!"

Kuroha did not even _bother_ to attempt to correct what Hunter had just said, and instead, turned towards the Chaos Gate. Maybe, it would be better just to leave the idiot behind…

Suddenly Hunter threw himself onto Kuroha, and wheeled him around to face him.

"Oh, _I_ get it _now_! You want me to take out the person _with_ the kid!" He exclaimed, as if he had just figured out something difficult.

Kuroha slapped his forehead, and shook his head exasperatedly.

"Whatever you say, Hunter…now, let's get a move on!" He ordered, before typing in his coordinates, and quickly transporting into the area.

-

---------------------------------------The Dual City: Breg Epona----------------------------------

-

Eon shut her eyes tiredly, before looking up to the bright, blue sky of Breg Epona. She let out a small, impatient sigh, before flipping herself around to face herself towards the large gondola, slowly manoeuvring around all of the tall buildings.

There was a bright flash of cyan light, before Pi stepped away from the Chaos Gate, and scanned the area, before noticing the girl crossing her arms impatiently.

"You're late." Eon complained as Pi approached her.

"I apologize. Something came up offline..." The Tribal Grappler explained, crossing her arms as well.

"Whatever." Eon muttered, before turning to face the Chaos Gate behind Pi. "So, where are we going today…?" She asked, watching the golden rings of the Gate slowly circle themselves around the shining, blue core.

"Today, we will be going to Epsilon, Fighting Horror's Domain." Pi explained monotonously. "When there, I will be teaching you how to call your Guardian; Shiruba, I believe."

Eon nodded her head slowly.

"All…right…" She muttered. "But, why to the Epsilon server…?" She asked. "I thought that it was just for people that completed a special quest, or gained a specific_ status_ within The World."

"That is correct," Pi answered, "but, you must understand that everyone in operation G.U. is considered to be in 'special status'; nonetheless, Haseo was the previous Emperor of the Sage Palace, and his 'title' moved along to all those that have his Member's Address." She explained.

Eon made a small 'oh' in understanding, before racing towards the Chaos Gate to test Pi's theory.

In less than one minute, she had transported to the snowy server in a blinding flash of blue light.

-

-----------------------------------------Epsilon Fighting Horror's Domain------------------------------------

-

Kuroha opened his inventory, and began to throw out specific hacking-related items quickly.

"We don't have much time for the initial set up," He explained curtly. "Therefore, we will need to do this quickly, and precisely. We can not come back to fix it later."

"Oooookay then… So what do you want me to do?" Hunter asked.

Kuroha was silent for a moment, before shaking his head.

"It's alright; I can set it up myself. You know nothing about hacking anyway." He explained.

Hunter put on a 'pouty' face.

"I do _so_ know _something_ about hacking!" He protested.

"And that would be…?" Kuroha asked, not bothering to look up from his work.

"It's a lot of typing, and too hard for me to figure out."

Kuroha paused, before looking up to Hunter incredulously.

"You _said_ that you knew something about hacking, yet you then _finish_ your statement, saying that you know nothing of it. Is that _not_ an oxymoron?!" He asked.

"Hey! I'm not a _moron_! I just _told_ you, that I'm just _dense!"_ Hunter explained.

Kuroha sighed irritably.

"Whatever you say..." He typed, before there was a shrill screech from the equipment that he was connecting.

"_Aaaaahhh!_ My _ears_!" Hunter howled in agony.

"Quit your whining." Kuroha typed strictly, as the screech suddenly stopped as he pushed a few keys onto the transparent blue keyboard next to him.

Hunter stopped wailing after a few more seconds of silence, before glaring at the strange pipe-like contraption that Kuroha was working on.

"What _is_ that?!" He demanded.

"A multi-directional stopper barrier." Kuroha explained.

Hunter's silence told him that what he just explained was not entirely...clear…

Kuroha sighed, as he typed in a few more keys onto the keyboard, and moved onto the next bar.

"In _other_ words, it's a barrier that should disable the link between a Guardian, and its Master; making the Master more vulnerable, and less of a threat for this sort of work."

Hunter slowly nodded his head, before another shrill screech filled the air, making him fall over, clutching his ears in pain.

"No more mommy! I don't wanna be deaf!" He cried.

Kuroha rolled his eyes, as he twisted the bar five degrees, and typed in a few more keys, making the screeching stop once more.

"Baby…" He typed before connecting the two bars together.

Hunter stuck out his lip like a child, before Kuroha motioned for him to stand back with his hand.

"I'd advise that you close your eyes for this, or risk blindness, as _well_ as deafness." He warned.

Hunter did not argue.

Kuroha typed in the final series of code for the procedure, before checking his work twice, and finally pressing the 'enter' key.

The area around them suddenly glowed a bright, royal blue colour, as multiple data anomalies suddenly appeared around them; spiralling, open portals, just waiting to be used…

Kuroha expertly picked up a number of black, diamond-shaped crystals, and threw one into each of the anomalies, before they were swallowed up into them.

The blue suddenly turned to a violent, crimson colour, as Kuroha quickly typed in another code, to stabilize the barrier.

"Is it done yet…?" Hunter asked, holding his hands over his eyes like a child.

Kuroha rolled his eyes once more, before typing in a few more letters.

The room became a light lime green colour, before suddenly switching to a darker forest green, and then to teal.

_Perfect…_ Kuroha thought, as he picked up a few more black diamonds, and threw them into the newly appearing portals. Like before, they were swallowed up, but not nearly as fast. _Good, it's reaching its limit…_

"_Now_ can I look…?" Hunter begged, nearly throwing Kuroha off of his game.

"For the love of Aura, shut up!" The Steam Gunner commanded, before the barrier finally turned to an ocean-blue.

Kuroha looked over his shoulder at the annoying Hunter, before shaking his head.

"All right, you can look." He said, as the blue began to vanish, as if there was nothing there to begin with.

Hunter opened his eyes, surprised to see nothing out of the ordinary.

"I thought that you were supposed to be hacking, or something…" He muttered.

"I did." Kuroha typed, with a small grin. "And judging by your reaction, it was a success."

Hunter slowly nodded, though did not understand in the least what Kuroha had just meant.

"All right." Kuroha typed, before reaching down and collecting the excess materials that he used, as well as the poles. "Now, all that we have left to do, is head to the Beast Statue, and wait for them to come…" He explained.

"All right! Adventure time, it's adventure time--!" Hunter sang, as he _skipped_ into the mouth of the Aztec dungeon.

Kuroha watched him bounce off, a small sweat drop appearing on the back of his head.

How did this guy ever become a part of Hades…?

-

------------------------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku----------------------------------

-

By the time that Pi had transferred into CC Corp.'s newest creation, Eon was bouncing around wildly; throwing snowflakes into the air, and making snow angles in the frozen grass.

Pi slowly approached her, as the dog girl finally calmed down after the third snow angel was made.

"This place is amazing!" Eon exclaimed, before jumping to her feet.

"I am glad that you approve of it." Pi said, a small, amused grin on her face. "But by the looks of it, you have never seen snow before..."

Eon shook her head hard, before looking up at the blue-grey sky, and watching the small, white crystals slowly float down onto the ground.

"I haven't ever been outside for snow." She explained.

"And why is that…?" Pi asked expertly, "I'd have thought that children loved the snow."

Eon's head flew towards Pi, before she stuck out her tongue at her.

"I don't like the cold, is why!" She complained, before quickly adding Pi into her party, and typing in the newest coordinates.

'Fighting, Horror's, Domain'.

-

-------------------------------------Epsilon Fighting Horror's Domain----------------------------------

-

"Okay, so how are we going to do this…?" Eon asked as soon as the Admin transferred in after her.

Pi held her chin in thought for a moment, before looking back at Eon.

"I am unsure of _how_ to call a Guardian, but maybe, you can ask for a little bit of assistance…" She explained.

Eon slowly nodded her head, after understanding that what she meant was 'Ask Shiruba'.

_Hey, Shiruba, you awake…?_ Eon asked mentally.

There was no reply, which shocked Eon for the most part. Shiruba almost _always_ responded instantly!

_Helloooooo, you awake, doggy…?_

Again, there was no reply.

Eon looked to Pi with shock in her expression.

"What's wrong?" Pi asked, narrowing her eyes.

"S-she's not responding to me!" Eon explained. "She _always_ responds! Even to _rhetorical questions!_"

Pi blinked, confused, before crossing her arms.

"I…understand… In that case, we have no choice but to continue on, and attempt to summon her our own way." She explained.

Eon nodded understandingly, before turning after Pi, towards the mouth of the Aztec-like dungeon.

Hopefully, this wasn't a bad sign…

-

---------------------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku-------------------------------------

-

Haseo stretched his arms high above his head, before pulling up hard. He made a small grunt in pain, as he did this in the real world as well, before looking around the masses of snow-covered hills before him.

"_C'mon_ I _dare_ you to take that dinky lil' sled of yours down it…" Axel muttered with a gin.

Haseo glared at him, but had to admit…he _was_ right…

He looked down at Axel's hands, which held a long, aerodynamic sled; steam engine ready, and glowing with Chim Spheres…whereas in his hands, was a small, round, piece of crap, to put it lightly…

He was challenged to a race down the hill, but he never really ever _saw_ how large the hills were…until today. Nonetheless, no one ever told him that the 20 GP sled would suck _this_ bad…not that it mattered…he could beat this imbecile with is eyes closed…

Axel's grin grew as Hikaru slowly stepped up to the 'starting point', and raised his hand.

"Ready…?" He asked, as normal, monotonously.

"Yeah yeah…" Haseo muttered, as he got into a ready-to-dash position.

"On. Your. Mark." He stated, Axel's grin growing huge and maniacal as he got ready as well.

"Get. Set."

There was a pause, as Hikaru apparently forgot the last word to this clichéd sentence, before Axel suddenly yelled out the word 'go'.

Shocked, Haseo was a few seconds slow to jump down the hill, as Axel was already speeding before him.

"Damn it…" He breathed through his teeth, as he began to lean to the left to avoid a tree, then quickly to the right, once around, to trail him as closely as he could.

Axel remained a good ten meters in front of Haseo, but for some reason, would continue to check over his shoulder, to see the Adept Rogue every few seconds…

Haseo narrowed his eyes after the third glance, before he felt a sudden lurch on his sled.

"Wha…?!" He demanded, slowly realizing _why_ Axel continued to turn…

There was a giggle from the ten meters, as Axel span his sled in a complete 180, and stopped before Haseo; watching him as the sled suddenly burst into a million large, wooden pieces.

"What in the name of—" Haseo howled, as he was thrown into a large snow bank from the force, and then into a tree shortly afterwards.

_Total_ wipe out…

Axel drove his sled down to Haseo expertly, and stopped in front of him, before pulling his lower eye lid down and sticking out his tongue.

Oh, how he wished that he could cut it off right now, as Axel raced down the hill, and stopped _right_ in front of the finish line, then went over, backed up, and over again, for a total number of eight times, before getting off of the toboggan.

Haseo swore, as he and Axel were teleported off of the hill, and in front of the starting line again.

"Heh, I _told_ you that you'd lose with that, Whitey-chan." Axel mused.

Haseo, on the other hand, stomped down the southern path and into the bazaar, before purchasing the most expensive toboggan that he could possibly buy.

He raced back up to Axel, slightly panting, before glaring at him.

"Rematch." He said bluntly, his eyes _burning_.

Axel put his index finger to the side of his mouth in thought, before a small grin crept up onto it.

"Okay, but on one condition, Whitey-chan…" Axel muttered.

Haseo listened to him intently. It was obvious that he wanted another go…

"We don't take the bunny hill this time…we take on the _real_ thing!" He announced, pointing up to a larger hill, about two and a half times bigger, with snow banks for jumping, and more trees to slam into.

Haseo starred at it in horror for a moment, before nodding his head. He _would not_ lose this time!

-

It took the server some time to allow them to transport up there, as there we so many daredevils that wished to take the course, that they needed to take turns, or risk messing up the graphics with overuse…

That would call for some unnecessary Piros interrogations…

Axel was bouncing wildly when they appeared in front of the long drop off.

"You _ready_…?" He asked, as he eyed the AI program that was to start the race.

"No freakin' duh…" Haseo muttered coldly, as he put down the toboggan, and got ready.

"On your marks." The AI said robotically.

Axel and Haseo turned their heads instantly towards the drop off.

"Get set."

They both narrowed their eyes, ready to begin.

"Go!"

The two of them took of quickly, but unfortunately for Haseo, Axel's sudden burst into 'Woody Woodpecker Laughter' made him turn his head for a moment…only _a_ moment, and Axel had already sped two meters in front of him.

Haseo swore silently, as he leaned down into the front of his sled, as would do so on his bike, and turned to the left hard, bringing him right behind the black-haired idiot.

Again, there was another stupid sounding laughter, as Axel attempted to raise his speed in a short burst, but Haseo wouldn't have that! He quickly turned one of the gears on the handles, and allowed it to eat up three Chim Chims, before both him and Axel went over one of the snow mound jumps.

The extra speed added to his jump, and he expertly leaned his weight to the left, landing half a meter in front of the cheater.

He heard Axel make a small snicker cheerfully from behind him, as he used on Chim Chim to try to get another meter in front.

"Give it up, Snow White! I'm winnin' this one!" Axel announced, as he appeared to Haseo's right.

Haseo grunted, as he quickly forced his sled to the right, and slammed into Axel's toboggan, shocking him for a moment, but he recovered quickly; an even bigger grin on his face.

"So that's how ya wanna play…huh…?" Axel asked, as he rammed him back.

Haseo was ready to pull out his Twin Blades, before Axel suddenly looked to his right, and moved away from Haseo's sled.

Haseo furrowed his eyes in confusion, as Axel quickly eased off of the gas, and slowed down gradually, letting Haseo speed another six meters in front of him.

"What in the name of Hell are you _doing?!_" Haseo yelled over his shoulder, as Axel stuck out his tongue at him.

"Watch out for the Abominable Snowmen…" He warned, before making a sudden ninety degree turn to the right, and flying though a large, black hole.

"What…?" Haseo muttered, as he looked at the course's map. The route that Axel was currently taking was longer, and weaved around the entire main course; way thinner as well, leading to a higher chance of falling off of the side…

Haseo shook his head agitated. Did he _really_ think that he needed such a big handicap?! That bastard…

Haseo allowed his toboggan to increase its speed, eating up a Chim Sphere every ten seconds. He kept his eyes in front of himself calmly, narrowly dodging trees, to keep his speed up, and watching for any snow mounds that may cause him a bit of trouble.

That was when he heard the angry growl from behind him.

"What…?" Haseo muttered, wondering if the AI had allowed more players onto the hill after them.

He turned his head slowly, to face the source of the sound, before instantly turning pale.

"For the love of Aura…" He muttered, before stepping hard on the gas once more, eating up more Chim Spheres at a faster rate.

Behind him, on a large, blue _snowboard_, was a _Yeti!_

"C'mon, _C'mon!_" Haseo muttered, as he tried to get the sled to go even faster, but it apparently reached its max…no wonder Axel warned him about the snowman…

The Yeti behind him was catching up at an alarming rate, as Haseo attempted to weave through some of the trees, and make jumps to get away. It wasn't working… The Yeti roared angrily, like normal monsters on the field, as it punched a tree out of its way, and raced after him.

Haseo grit his teeth hard, as he glanced over the dashboard of his toboggan quickly, for anything that he could possibly do.

_Steering wheel…gas…gears…already at max…big red button…haven't tried that…_Haseo thought, before gingerly reaching towards the large, rectangular button.

Bad idea…

The sled suddenly lurched, as the steam engine made a loud 'kink' noise. There was a moment of silence afterwards, before the exhaust pipe of the suddenly shot out _blue flames_, and Haseo, as well as the sled, went flying at a speed of over 200 MPH. (The Sled had a max speed of only 100MPH…)

Haseo couldn't help but let out a surprised yelp, as he held onto the handle bars for dear life. The sled suddenly lurched once more, before going out of control, and weaving though trees and snow mounds randomly, sending him and the sled flying up, into the air.

Haseo took this chance to pull his PC body's legs to the seat of the toboggan, and seating himself; clutching his knees around the seat to be extra careful.

The speed of the Toboggan made the jump go four times farther than it would normally go, as Haseo flew over a quarter of the course; the Yeti still, unfortunately, behind him…

It let out a loud howl, as Haseo looked over his shoulder at it. He could just barely see the finish line right now; just in front of him, and Axel quickly speeding down the right path…but he was closer…

Haseo grinned as he noticed the toboggan slowly beginning to feel the effects of gravity, and begin to plummet towards the ground.

_Yes…!_ He thought cheerfully. _I'm going to win!_

Suddenly, there was a one final lurch, as the exhaust pipe shot out one more burst of blue flames, propelling Haseo a little farther than he would like…

"NO!" He howled, as the sled began to fly in a direct course towards a large, snow covered pine tree…

There was a loud smack, as Haseo collided face first with the tree, losing a good chunk of his health from all of the momentum.

"Ahck…" He muttered, before slowly sliding down.

The Yeti behind him slid to a stop right in front of the tree, before banging its chest triumphantly, and howling cheerfully.

"Damn beast…" Haseo muttered, as he groggily watched Axel cross the finish line with a huge grin on his face.

Two feet…he was _two_ feet from winning this race…if only the tree wasn't here…

Haseo mentally cursed all of the swears that he had ever heard in life, as Axel hopped off of the sled cheerfully, and danced around it, as if it were a gift from the Gods.

The two of them were suddenly transported to the outside of the 'Hills' area, Axel with his beloved sled, and Haseo was his broken down garbage pile.

"I _told_ you to watch out for Abominable Snowmen!" Axel said, a large grin on his face.

Haseo glared at him.

"And how the _Hell_ was I supposed to know that you were serious about that?!" He demanded angrily.

"Simple, read the Forums. You should _really_ begin to do that…" Axel muttered. "If you _did_ read them every once in a while you wouldn't have condemned us to death with the 'Devil's Servant' _and_ you would have known about the Snowmen…"

Haseo grunted in displeasure, before slightly lifting his M2D off of his eyes, to peek at the clock on the corner of his desk.

4:27 P.M.

Haseo's nose twitched angrily, before looking back to Axel, who had finally finished his long ramble on looking on the BBS.

"By the way, Whitey-chan…" Axel said, looking at Haseo curiously. "Why are you _here_, instead of at Lumina Cloth, winning those WP Points…?"

Haseo sighed irritably.

"Because I was _abandoned_ by the rest of my team…" He muttered angrily. "Yata has some work to do in the Serpent of Lore right now… Kuhn is busy with his job, as well as trying to plan another date with a girl…and Atoli is God _knows_ where…" He said, enraged. "As for Endrance, he's off looking at all of the 'pretty' things in The World, and _Saku_ is off leading some cult of fan girls towards Sirius today…"

Axel stared at Haseo, obviously interested in the 'cult' part…

"If you want to know _what_ Saku is planning, you'd better go and find _her_, instead of me. I don't even _want_ to think about it…" He muttered.

Axel puffed out his cheeks in a pout, before turning towards Hikaru.

"All right Hikki, off to Lumina Cloth to infiltrate Icolo!" He announced, pointing his finger in the general direction towards the Chaos Gate.

"Ya-tta!" Hikaru 'cheered', before slowly trotting off after the idiot.

Haseo sighed tiredly, before looking down at the piece of junk at his feet.

"A fat lot of good you did for me…" He muttered, before kicking the wreckage.

The exhaust pipe let out a small cough, before vanishing in a blue flash.

Like he cared…

Haseo stretched his arms above his head again, and held them behind his head. He shut his eyes tiredly, before turning to the western path, leading towards the Home.

He slowly followed it; eyes closed, before feeling a light tap on his shoulder.

Haseo jumped in shock, before turning to a thin Harvest Cleric. He looked down at her light grey hair, and to her black attire; quickly realising that she wasn't Atoli.

"Sh-Shino?!" He asked, surprised to see her.

After the Third Network Crisis incident, he couldn't say that he'd seen her much… Other than when he finally finished the Forest of Pain, (with Zelkova and Atoli) and after she requested for him to meet her in Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground after finally awakening from her coma…they've both kept their distance…though not intentionally, of course…

Shino smiled at him brightly.

"It is good to see you again, Haseo." She said politely.

"I-It's good to see you too!" Haseo stuttered. He really didn't know _what_ to say to the Cleric…

"So…what have you been up to, lately…?" She asked, holding her hands behind her back, as Atoli normally did…

Haseo looked to the side, away from her in thought. What could he _possibly_ tell her…? That AIDA had returned…? That Ovan's sacrifice was in vain…?! No…that wouldn't…he couldn't…

"Haseo…?" Shino asked, concerned.

"O-oh, just helping out in Canard, and entering the Warrior Palace Tournament!" Haseo answered quickly.

Shino smiled understandingly at Haseo, making his stomach lurch from guilt.

"Oh, Haseo! That's so wonderful!" She congratulated. "We'll be cheering you on from the side lines as well then! Tell me, when's your next match?!" Shino asked, holding her hands together in front of her chest, and leaning towards him.

Haseo leaned back a tiny bit, before looking up in thought.

"Well…my party isn't here yet…so…wait…_we_?!" Haseo demanded. "Who's this 'we'?!"

Shino's grin grew a tiny bit more.

"This is something that I've wanted to tell you to, face to face for a while now, Haseo…" Shino explained. "But, whenever you and I were both on, you were busy…"

Haseo nodded his head slowly.

"Then…what did you want to tell me…?" He asked, his heart beating in his ears. Did Shino get a…boyfriend…?

"Well…I'd think that it'd be better if you saw, rather than if we were to speak…" Shino explained, before pulling out a small, thin, card-like Home Key.

"What's this…?" Haseo asked, taking it.

Shino only shut her eyes in a large grin, before quickly taking his hand, and racing towards the Home.

-

------------------------------------------Epsilon Fighting Horror's Domain------------------------------------------

-

Eon narrowly dodged the large knight-like monster's charging attack, before quickly slipping in behind it, and attempting to penetrate its thick armour with an uppercut from her claws. They made a loud 'tong' noise, before she quickly pulled her right foot in front of her left, and kicked off of the knight's foot; narrowly dodging the over-sized lance.

She panted heavily, as she took a quick glance at Pi, who was holding her own against a similar knight monster, though red instead of blue, as well as a giant raptor-like bird.

She grit her teeth hard, as her golden eyes flew back to the beast, before charging towards it recklessly with a loud howl.

The monster easily swept its large lance at her, sending her flying into the barrier with a loud 'omf'.

Eon wearily looked up at the monster, as it slowly approached her at a leisure pace; holding its lance up high over its head.

"Stupid…beast…" She breathed, standing up as fast as her injured PC body would let her. Her right eye was shut tight in pain, as her left scanned the area for anything that she could do.

_There…just below its left foot…a rock…__lever…_

Eon narrowed her eyes, as she quickly schemed, before suddenly dashing towards the monster once more.

Like before, it held up its lance high, before quickly slicing down with its full force; Eon was ready though… She quickly leaned to her right, and held her arm out in front of herself, before rolling just beyond its reach. She waited little more than a second to get back up, before dashing towards its foot again. The monster howled furiously, as it began to stomp on the ground, readying to dash towards her again; but Eon wouldn't have that…

"Take this!" She yelled, before quickly lowering herself towards the ground, and forcing herself up at its lower stomach-armour, and forcing the beast to quickly lose its balance.

Eon then span on the spot, before kicking up at its armoured face, making it fall over, onto its back. She couldn't help but grin triumphantly, as the armour shattered into a million pieces, before jumping up, and releasing a series of swipes at its now uncovered face.

It roared in agony, as she finished the last of her five-hit combo, and bounced off of its stomach, landing ten feet away from it. It slowly pushed itself up, before glaring at her with its mutated eye; now slit into a long, thin line. The beast lifted its lance angrily, before slamming the ground hard, sending a series of large stalagmites flying her way.

Eon's eyes widened in shock, before she began to jump backwards, left, and right, to try to dodge the large triangles of earth.

She winced, as one piece cut into the side of her character, and another into her leg, slowing her speed down significantly.

"Dang…it…" Eon breathed once more, as the beast marched towards her; its red eye almost glowing in anticipation.

She shut her eyes, ready for her fate, before an almost silent voice called 'Ol Repth' from behind her.

A small, light-green circle surrounded her, as Eon quickly gained 350 Hit Points of Health, just before the creature was in striking distance. She quickly opened the Skill Trigger, and selected 'Flare'. Her claws lit aflame, as she continuously hit the 'X' button; sending multiple fireballs into the poor creature.

It howled again furiously, as it was forced back, just enough for Eon to make her escape around its right, and to the other side of the barrier; though not before turning and giving Pi a nod of thanks.

The beast turned around quickly, glaring at her with its giant eye. It roared loudly, and again, slammed its lance into the ground, attempting to skewer her with more stalagmites.

Eon grinned smugly.

"Not this again…run out of tricks…?" She asked, before flexing her claws, and holding them ready, before her. She quickly slashed at the stalagmites, shattering them into hundreds of little specks, and raced towards it one final time. "It's over." She hissed, before extending her wings on her back, and jumping high into the air.

The wings caught the air easily, and allowed her to glide over top of the beast, before quickly whipping them shut, and dive-bombing the monster.

It howled in agony, as Eon's claws pieced straight through its gigantic eye, and straight down to its stomach, before vanishing into nothingness with a large red flash.

It took Eon a few seconds to catch her breath, and stand up straight after the attack. This was a little more action than she wanted for today…

"Good job." Pi commented, stepping up behind her. "Though, I never knew that those wings were more than just decoration…"

"Whatever…" Eon pouted.

Throughout this entire dungeon, not _once_ had she taken out _two_ monsters of the three, in the groups. Pi had done so… Two floors down, and she was already turning out to be the deadweight again…hardly able to fight one monster at a time!

Pi turned to face the nearest split of exits.

"We can take the western wall, or the southern wall." She explained, motioning them.

"Do we have any idea where either of them _lead_?" Eon asked grumpily.

Pi allowed a small grin to twitch onto her lips.

"No, but considering that you are not even _able_ to call your Guardian, it is probably better if we don't, and get in as much fighting as possible." She explained, before turning to her. "Nonetheless, if you wish to take out your anger on someone, may I suggest the monsters…?"

Eon glared at Pi, before racing towards the southern wall quickly. At times, she seemed to be _just_ as annoying as Axel, with her sarcastic remarks…

-

"Home, home on the Range!" Hunter began singing, only to be suddenly tripped by Kuroha.

He fell hard onto his face, before quickly standing up, and looking to the shorter boy with teary eyes.

"Wh-what was that for?!" He asked.

Kuroha rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"We are _here_ on a _mission_! A _mission_ that is top _SECRET!_ If you continue to sing, do you _not_ think that it _may_ draw some _unnecessary _attention?" He questioned.

Hunter looked up in thought for a moment, before slowly nodding in understanding.

"Ohhh…." He muttered, before rubbing his chin. "That makes _perfect_ sense!"

Kuroha sighed irritably.

_Why_ of _anyone_, was he stuck with _Hunter?!_

-

--------------------------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku: Solstice---------------------------------------

-

Shock was the first thing that Haseo felt when he entered the Home. He'd forgotten how long it'd been since he and Shino had both been in the Twilight Brigade. How he had met her and Ovan for the first time…how _one_ fateful meeting had started all of this… AIDA, Epitaphs, mistakes…and Lost Ones…

"Well, what do you think, Haseo…?" Shino asked, as she approached a small Grunty, wearing a large beret-like hat, similar to her own.

Haseo looked around himself in awe.

It was _just_ like the Twilight Brigade…from over a year ago…

He looked at the white walls of the Guild. The light orange carpet…and the little berry-tree in the corner, next to the Grunty.

He couldn't help but feel a small tinge of nostalgia as he gazed around the Guild…

"What is this…?" He asked, now noting a few more improvements that this Guild had had over the Twilight Brigade. It was bigger, for one thing…and also had more plants, decorating some of the free space. There was a pool of water, meaning this Guild was obviously over level six…and quite good lighting; most likely because they were set up in Saal Haku…

"This is Solstice, Haseo." Shino answered. "A Guild dedicated to looking for Ovan…_our_ key of the Twilight…"

Haseo's heart beat hard in his ears.

"L-looking for…Ovan…?" He asked, almost in a whisper.

"That's correct!" A cheerful voice called from behind him.

Haseo jumped in shock, and turned around, just in time to avoid a familiar Beast-Woman's glomp.

She landed on her nose, inches away from the Grunty, before turning to him with large, watery eyes.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice, Haseo!" Tabby complained.

"T-_Tabby?!_" He demanded.

Tabby faked looking around for herself, before nodding.

"Yup, looks like I'm Tabby." She said, a large cat-grin plastered all over her face. "Why do you look so surprised…?"

Haseo blinked a couple of times, attempting to take this all in.

"I…I thought that you said that you were on for only _one_ day, when I met you in the Forest of Pain last month!" He explained.

Tabby's smile grew a tiny bit more.

"Yes, I _was_ on, _that_ month, for only a day…but _now_, I can be on almost whenever I want! I figured out a _system!_" She explained cheerfully.

"A 'system'…?" Haseo asked sceptically.

"Yep! Work my tail off in class, and do homework later!" She explained, before putting her hands on her waist, and letting out a loud laugh.

"…Wha…?" Haseo muttered, before turning to see a newer arrival walk through the door.

She was just as surprised to see him, as he was to see her, as she walked in.

"Haseo…?" She asked, blinking in confusion.

"A-Aina…?" He asked, though he had to admit…it made sense…

She nodded her head lightly, before turning to Tabby, who was ogling the cute little Grunty.

"Tabby…weren't you going to show me a good area for Chim Chim's today…?" She asked, as the Beast-Girl's head suddenly shot up, and she stood.

"Of course! Let's go, Aina!" Tabby announced, before saluting her, Shino, and Haseo, and dashing out through the large wooden doors.

Aina turned to Haseo before leaving, and gave a small bow of appreciation.

"Thank you for all of your help, last month…Haseo…" She said quietly. "If not for you, and Skeith…there would be no 'World'…and I know that my brother would have never wanted that..."

Haseo nodded in understanding, as the small, blue-haired girl quickly turned, and left after Tabby.

"She's been searching harder than all of us combined." Shino explained, as the doors closed behind Aina. "Of anybody…she wishes to see Ovan again the most."

Haseo nodded sadly.

"Haseo…" Shino said quietly, before lightly gripping onto his hand.

Haseo turned to face her instantly, though unsure if he should take back his hand or not.

"Please…tell me the truth…" Shino begged. "Is it true…? Is AIDA really…back…?"

Haseo could hear his heart beat in his ears, and silently begged that Shino couldn't. His blood turned to ice, with the question, as he looked into her worried eyes. Somehow, he felt, that even if he did lie right now…she'd be able to tell…

"I…I'm sorry…" He said, as he took back his hand quickly, and turned his back to her.

Shino continued to watch him calmly.

"So…it is true…?" She asked.

Haseo bit his lip in real life.

"Yes…it is…" He muttered, looking down at the carpet.

If only…if only AIDA had never returned…if only Ovan hadn't sacrificed himself for _nothing_, would he have been able to speak about this matter more freely. But, Ovan was gone…there was no denying it. If 'Solstice' had been searching for him _all_ of this time, and still never come across him, or anything that could help to reach him; to bring him back here…then he could really be of no help. Even Yata hadn't found any traces of him, within The World…

"I see." Shino said, also turning to face the opposite direction of Haseo. She shut her eyes for a moment, as if in deep thought, before speaking again. "If that's the case then, Haseo…then please…be careful…" She said, holding her arm to her chest tightly. "We…I don't want to lose any more people close to me…"

Haseo nodded, even though he knew that Shino was not looking at him, before quickly stepping towards the exit of the Home, and leaving Solstice.

-

------------------------------------Epsilon Fighting Horror's Domain---------------------------------

-

_Come ON__ Shiruba! Where are you?! _Eon demanded mentally to the beast, but there was still no reply.

She sighed tiredly, before leaning against one of the light brick walls. She shut her eyes, before trying again, just once more…but again, there was no response.

Eon reached up, and put her hand over her face, before slowly brushing her silver bangs back. Why wasn't Shiruba answering her?! Did she do something to tick her off…? If so, then _what_?

Eon held her right palm across her forehead and right eye, before looking up at the ceiling with her uncovered left eye. She let out a light agitated sigh, before slowly shutting it.

"Stupid mutt…" Eon murmured, as Pi leaned on the wall next to her.

"Still can't contact her…?" She asked, adjusting the glasses on her nose.

"No…" Eon answered angrily, not bothering to open her eyes, or even look at her.

"I see…" Pi murmured.

"No you don't." Eon suddenly said, opening her eyes and glaring at the Admin. "No one can 'see', unless they _have _a disobedient Guardian like me!" She howled, before turning around, and leaning her forehead against the wall.

_Why__ Shiruba?! Where are you?!_

Pi lifted her glasses from her nose, and inspected them in the dim light of the dungeon, before placing them back onto her face.

"I see that your anger still hasn't left, even after coming one more floor down…" She stated monotonously, before looking at Eon with the corner of her eye.

Eon was still learning against the wall angrily; trying to block out every one of Pi's words. Her perfect chance…

Pi quickly opened up her hacking window beside her character, before typing in a series of numbers and letters, and pressing enter. There was a brief pause, before information suddenly started to appear on her pale blue screen…though invisible to all other players…

-

Eon had to literally hold herself into place in the real world, to not jump up in shock from the sudden appearance of the 'Hacker Detection' windows around her character.

_Not now…anytime but NOW!_ Eon thought desperately, before turning around to face towards the dungeon once more, as casually as she could at such a bad time.

She eyed Pi, who seemed to be concentrated on the wall in front of them, and ceased this opportunity to swing her arm, as if stretching it, at the monitor to her right, shutting down that system instantly, and ceasing the Hacking attempt. Eon allowed herself a smug, two second grin, before leaning back against the wall; hands behind her head.

-

Pi furrowed her eyebrows angrily, as the information was cut off.

_Damn…_ She thought, before eyeing Eon once more.

Eon was leaning against the wall, and starring ahead, as if concentrating on an invisible puppet show…time for round two…

Pi quickly whipped her left hand out, careful not to disturb Eon from her daydream, and hit the monitor next to her head, turning the cyan screen to a violent crimson. The screen started to beep lightly, before a series of numbers, letters, and strange, garbled words appeared, before information began to fly across Pi's M2D.

-

Eon bit her lip hard, as she tried not to yell in frustration. Who did this hacker think that they were?! She quickly pulled her hands from behind her head, and let out a long yawn, before stretching them to her sides with a loud 'crack'; hitting the left and right screens in sync.

All of the information running across her screens was instantly reset, and the screens turned to grey, as they quickly vanished into nothingness once more.

_There…that should do it…_ Eon thought, as she stretched her arms in front of herself, and put them down at her sides lazily. _They'd be an idiot to try once more…_

-

Pi bit her lip hard, as she glared at where the most recent information had just vanished from. For an _eight-year-old CHILD_, Eon was proving to be quite a nuisance…not to mention, the fact that she could _not_ detect any suspicious behaviour from her as well…

Pi reached up, and rubbed the bridge of her nose, with her index finger and thumb.

How was she doing it…?

Pi looked at Eon for a long moment. She was just…leaning there…bored…

She took a sharp breath, before opening up the hacking window one final time. If this failed…then there was no point on attempting to continue…

-

Eon's eye twitched in the real world. She attempted to keep herself from moving, but _this_ was the _final_ straw…

Eon sat up straight, and stood up, before quickly typing in front of herself on the invisible keyboard.

"…What are you doing…?" Pi asked suspiciously.

"I'm E-mailing Axel back." She lied. "He said that he finally filled his quota…and decided to waste my time telling me this in an E-Mail..." She explained, as she typed in a Short Mail message to the unfortunate hacker.

She allowed herself a small grin, as she finally finished the reasonably long message, and pressed 'enter', before stretching her arms one last time, and expertly hitting the monitor before her; shutting it off, before any important information was lost to this idiot hacker…

-

'_Tong'_ sounded, as Pi's looked up.

"A Short Mail…?" She questioned, before clicking 'accept'

**"Didn't I **_**say**_** that**** spying wasn't nice...?"** Read the Short Mail.

Pi gaped.

**"Because I **_**thought**_** that I did…and if not, here's another warning…though not as kind as before…"**

Pi starred at the Short Mail in confusion, before reading the sender.

'Eon'.

**"If you **_**really**_** have not****h****ing better to do, then may I suggest looking **_**elsewhere**_** for your kicks, or risk angering your…target****(s)****…?"**

Pi bit her lip in the real world. How in the name of _Hell_ was she doing this?!

**"Because, as the Hulk said, "You won't like me when I'm angry…"."**

"Are you okay…?" Eon asked, interrupting Pi from her reading.

Pi shot her head up instantly, and looked at the little girl.

Was her data correct…? Was she _really_ just _eight_?!

"I-I'm fine!" She stuttered. "Just an annoying Short Mail from Kuhn…that's all…"

**"When I'm angry, bad things tend to happen…and who knows if I'll even begin to bother hacking YOU instead…"**

Was she really _serious_?! Or…was this a bluff…? Pi really couldn't tell at the moment… She knew that _Zelkova_ was a hacker…but not this little girl… There were no reports of her ever visiting Tartarga! But then, how would _she_ know?! She wasn't even sure if she knew _anything_ right now!

**"A stupid friend once told me, ****"****S****ave pain for the game****"****…but this is ridiculous…come **_**on, **__**Three**_** attempts within **_**five**_** minutes?! Are you crazy, or just stupid?"**

Pi's face turned pale. She _knew_ that the last attempt was a little overboard…but the fact that she was told this by a little girl, was not all that…amusing…

"Pi…you're frowning…" Eon observed, earning an instant glare from the Admin.

"I am _not_!" She hissed, as she looked back to the Short Mail.

Eon backed up away from the Tribal Grappler; shocked from the sudden angry outburst. Was it not _her_ that was supposed to be angry right now…? What the heck did Kuhn _send_ her?!

**"****Nonetheless, wouldn't it have been easier just to **_**ask**_** us…? And yes, **_**us.**_** All three of us **_**know**_** that it's you, oh infamous hacker-friend. We could have told you a lot of things, rather then go through this headache every****day, with your pitiful attempts…"**

"P-pitiful?!" Pi whispered angrily, as she shot a death-glare at Eon, making her back up a little bit more.

"A-all right…m-maybe we should just go to the Beast Statue…" Eon murmured, turning towards a path to her left; avoiding all eye contact with Pi.

_Wonder what her problem is…I'll get Kuhn for making me go through this…_

**"Maybe I'll start calling you giggles, for getting your kicks out of the most annoy****ing things…or possibly R2D2…which****ever one suits you the most… I guess that you could even be called Hacky McHackington… but that's a little long. Tell me, what would you like to be called, Hacky…?"**

Pi glared at the Short Mail even harder.

_HACKY?!_ She thought, enraged. What stupid nicknames…and yet, Eon was acting so…_INNOCENT!_ Who'd of thought that she could be as annoying as Axel…must be the after effect of hanging around him so much…

**"****Now, continuing this long annoyed rant on topic, I am quite upset. It is quite rude to pry, I've heard… So why not just give it up while you're still ahead…? Who knows? Maybe you'll end up being a half decent person after all."**

Pi was fuming.

_Half DECENT?!_ She demanded mentally, shooting another glare at the dog-girl, making her shrink away towards the walls of the passageway. Who the _Hell_ did she think that she was?!

Eon walked closer and closer to the walls consciously, as she watched Pi's pace quicken, and her eyebrows narrow viciously.

_Geez…Kuhn's really done a number on her…_ She thought, before looking at the map, to make sure that they were heading in the right direction.

She didn't want to spend any more time with Pi than she had too…

**"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to attempt to summon the Guardian that you seem to be quite interested in. Tootles, ****oh Hacky Mchackington!"**

Pi exited the Short Mail quickly, before sending one final Death Glare Eon's way.

She was going to regret this…one day…

Eon blinked in confusion, as Pi suddenly shot her head the other direction, and glared at the wall, instead of herself.

Could it be that Pi had finally cooled down? Or was she just waiting for revenge? Most likely the latter…

Eon shut her eyes, and let out a small sigh. At least she was over it…for now… Now they could both finally concentrate on getting to the Beast Statue, and out of here…

-

-----------------------------------Unknown: Realm of the Gods-----------------------------------

-

Every time she tried to move, it hurt. Every time she drew a breath to howl, it burned.

Shiruba shut her eyes tightly, as she attempted to shake the large, golden muzzle of light off of her snout, but it wouldn't budge.

Her clawed feet were all bound to the water-covered floor of her domain, with golden chains of light; and her wings were fastened to her back tightly. She could hardly move, or breathe, without extreme pain; yet, she could hear all of the cries of help from her master clearly.

Shiruba bared her teeth as much as the harness around her mouth would allow, before attempting to melt it off, allowing giant embers of fire to spew from her mouth; but the mussel remained.

"Rrg!" She howled, as she thrashed around, splashing her claws into the water, making steam raise around her. She pulled to the left, then to the right, but the light would not let go. Shiruba then pulled her neck back hard, as she tried to loosen the harness from her mouth, but the light suddenly tightened around her body and wings, making her lean over, like a tamed beast.

_Damn you all…_ She swore, as her golden eyes shot up at the now mirrored sky, and down to the mirrors, surrounding herself, as well as the entire area.

_Howl all you want._ A sly voice said from behind her, as Sora pulled her long body around the beast. _No one is going to rescue you. You are stuck, and stuck, you will remain. Now that you have met your vessel, there is no way for her to return here, unless having an invitation…which, like that, you are unable to create._ The long, white dragon explained, licking her fur-covered lips with her long, pink tongue. _Nonetheless, it's inte__resting seeing YOU, of all of us stuck like this…finally receiving the punishment that you deserve._

_What punishment?!_ Shiruba demanded, her red mane igniting in furry. _I have done nothing wrong! It is YOU, who deserves punishment, of any of us!_

_Such accusations…but can you prove that we are not doing the right thing…?_ Sora asked, lowering her body into the cool, crystal-clear water leisurely. _It was me, after all, who helped to protect the __Guardian Masters of Water, Light__ and Darkness, whereas you, the Guardian of Fire, could hardly wake up in time to stop Cubia, as you, and those other two ingrates were created to do._

Shiruba bared her teeth at the dragon angrily, as she attempted to bite her fur-covered ear, only to be shocked by a harsh amount of electricity, from within the tendrils of light.

_Damn you…_ Shiruba spat, as she slowly narrowed her eyes tiredly, and leaned to her side, before quickly falling over. _Damn you…and your foolish ideals…_ She murmured, as her body began to slowly submerge itself within the cool water of the domain. Shiruba tried to gasp for breath, but she was too tired. Her body had been fighting the light for hours…and without Eon as a sacrifice…she had to use her own energy to get herself out of this mess.

She shut her eyes tightly, as she attempted to lift her head, but it was too heavy from exhaustion. Her eyes began to blur, as she watched Sora allow a maniacal grin onto her long face, and quickly dive under the water; disappearing from her sight, as well as the domain.

-

---------------------------------------Epsilon fighting Horror's Domain-------------------------------------

-

Eon slowed herself as she approached the hallway leading to Beast Statue; waiting for Pi to catch up to her.

Pi strutted up calmly, having finally calmed down about the whole 'Short Mail' fiasco.

"Just beyond this door, and we'll call it a day." She said curtly, before walking down the hallway, next to Eon.

Eon's left ear twitched, catching her attention, as she stopped to look at a pattern on the wall, only to have a long arrow miss her head by inches.

"Elp…!" Eon murmured, before falling down onto her butt in utter shock.

"Oops…" Hunter muttered, before being hit hard by Kuroha.

"Damn it, you idiot! You almost shot her!" He typed angrily, hitting him again harder.

"I'm sorry! Y¬Y" Hunter typed, using an emoticon.

"What are you doing?!" Pi demanded, helping Eon up, onto her feet.

"Erm…room service!" Hunter called suddenly, attempting to turn around and run, but Kuroha tripped him, and pointed his Steam Gun to his ear.

"Don't you _dare_ run away…" He warned, pulling off the 'safety', as he added.

"Eep…" Hunter whimpered, as he slowly stood up, and aimed his bow at Pi.

Pi's eyes widened in shock, as she narrowly avoided the first arrow, and deflected the second off of her Gauntlet, losing fifty health.

"W-what are you doing?!" She demanded angrily, standing in a fighting pose.

"Sorry, but I've been ordered t' kill you." Hunter explained, tipping his cowboy hat to her. "No hard feelings, of course…"

Pi's eyes narrowed dangerously, as she gave Hunter the most powerful death glare that Eon had ever seen.

"'Ordered to _kill_ me'…?" She questioned, stepping towards the unfortunate player.

"I…erm…eep!" Hunter cried, as he raced behind Kuroha for protection.

"Baby…" Kuroha typed angrily, as aimed his Steam Gun at the Tribal Grappler's forehead. He pulled back the trigger, but Pi was, unfortunately for them, in angry-super-mood-swing-mode…

She deflected the shot like it was nothing, losing only three hit points, before racing towards them at top speed.

"I'll show _you_ to mess with Pi!" She yelled, enraged, before attempting to punch Kuroha.

Shocked, Kuroha narrowly dodged the attack, by ducking, thus, making it hit Hunter instead.

"Oggg!" He howled, falling over instantly; losing over half of his health.

"Holy Sh$!" Kuroha typed frantically, as he jumped away from the Treasure Box, and towards the wall to his right. "Damn it, lady! What the hell _are_ you?!" He demanded, attempting to shoot her once more.

Pi turned towards him, her eyes ablaze, before punching the ground hard, shooting powerful stalagmites at Kuroha.

He swore silently, as his character was hit, and lost a good chunk of his health as well, before quickly forcing himself up to his feet, by leaning onto his arms, and flipping up, before jumping towards Hunter.

"She's a monster! A _monster!_" Hunter cried, before Kuroha slapped him hard.

Minus twelve hit points.

"Get a hold of yourself! A mission is a mission, so stick to it!" He explained, before pointing at the enraged Pi. "Now, we have no other choice but to use _those_."

Hunter nodded his head slowly, before turning to Pi sorrowfully.

"Sorry 'bout this, lady…but he's right…a mission _is_ a mission…" He muttered, before holding his arm in front of himself; palm facing down, and muscles tense.

He shut his eyes, in deep concentration, (Something unseemly of Hunter…) before large black symbols appeared around his character; ones similar to that of an Avatar…

-

Pi and Eon's eyes widened in shock, and fear.

"W-what are they doing?!" Eon asked, stepping back from Hunter, as well as Kuroha, who was also showing similar symbols, only his arms were crossed in front of his face.

"I-It can't be!" Pi exclaimed, before reaching towards Eon's arm, and throwing her back instinctively.

"Oof!" Eon coughed, before falling onto the ground, a few feet behind Pi. "W-what was that for?!" She demanded, before the ground around them began to shake violently, and the walls around them began to spew little black bubbles of AIDA.

Eon drew her hand back, away from the wall instantly, as she began to attempt to stand up, before noticing that they were no longer in The Real World. She spread out her arms, to try to support herself, as she managed to get to her knees, and slowly to her feet, before jumping up, and backing away from the walls.

Kuroha and Hunter were now completely glowing black, and a slight tint of red and blue, as cyan lightning shot out from their characters.

"Pi!" Eon called, before the tiles around her began to fly up, and towards the ceiling; forcing her back, away from the Admin.

Pi grit her teeth together hard, as she glared at the two of them, from the rims of her glasses.

"Damn…" She murmured, as Hunter began sprouting a short tail, and the silhouette of a large black monster, with circular horns began to appear around his body. Around Kuroha, a large, crab-like monster was appearing, glaring at Pi with it's large, yellow eyes.

"Pi!" Eon called again, but the rumbling nearly drowned her out, as she narrowly avoided stepping on a tile, that suddenly raised into the air as well.

Pi turned her head to the dog-girl, and motioned the Warp Panel, next to the now dissolving wall.

"_GO!"_ She yelled, as more tiles flew up around her.

She glared at the two AIDA beasts in front of her, before crossing her arms in front of herself, in a similar manner to that of Kuroha, before calling out 'Tarvos'' name.

Pink symbols surrounded her body, as the Avenger was called to Pi's aid.

Eon starred at Pi in shock. She wasn't _really_ thinking of taking on _two_ AIDA Explicants at once…was she?!

Eon turned her head towards the Warp Panel, before back to Pi. She shut her eyes tight, before looking back to the Panel one last time, and turning back to Pi. She couldn't do this alone!

"Hey, Shiruba!" Eon called desperately. "Where are you?! I thought that you told me to call you in a time of need?!" She cried. "I thought that you _wanted_ to be summoned!"

Small wet tears rolled down Eon's eyes as she watched Hunter's AIDA Explicant finish reforming itself around him.

It stood on four legs, with two large, curved horns on its head. He had two small, yellow eyes, with a red slit in the middle, and a large, AIDA 'bubble collar' around his neck. He roared angrily, before rearing up, onto his hind legs, and charging towards the Pink Avatar.

Pi just barely managed to grab the ram's two horns, making sure to avoid all contact with the swaying neck AIDA. She grunted as Tarvos was slowly pushed back by the sheer strength of it, before quickly pushing it to the right, and towards Kuroha.

Kuroha's eyes narrowed; as he knew that the Admin was planning. He quickly raised his arm, before drawing it into himself, and making a fist with his hand; thumb within the fingers.

The crab-like Explicant obeyed him instantly, as it pulled its large claws, and mutated legs within the shell, surrounding itself, and Kuroha in the middle.

Aries' horns bounced off of the shell hard, before shaking its head, and turning towards Pi angrily. He quickly drew his leg back, and pulled it back twice, like a bull, ready to charge, before racing at her once more.

Pi was ready this time, and instead of defending, simply allowed Tarvos to use her wings to float above the foolish beast, who charged right past her. She allowed herself a smug grin, before narrowly avoiding Cancer's claws.

Pi bit her lip.

_How'd he move so fast?!_ She wondered, before quickly noticing Eon jumping from white tile, to white tile, in an attempt to get closer.

"You idiot!" Pi shouted, as she looked up, and watched the last of the blue Warp Panel vanish into nothingness.

She narrowed her eyes, before quickly turning to face Aries, who was charging once more. Tarvos held her hands out once more, as she held the large AIDA beast back from Pi.

Eon would have to take care of herself…her hands were full right now…

-

Eon landed on another hexagonal tile, before looking around for a new one to hop on, only to realize, that the next nearest one was little over twenty feet away. Her face turned pale, as she looked down into the Cyberspace abyss of the AIDA server, before gulping hard.

Eon shut her eyes tight, as she raced off of the tile, and extended her wings, hoping that the laws of 'The World's' physics still applied in Cyberspace…

There was a slight tug on her back, as she peeked up with her left eye, and saw that she was gliding. Eon smiled, relieved, before noticing one small thing.

She was losing altitude.

Panic was the first thing that hit her, as she attempted to use her own _breath_ to raise herself a little bit more.

It didn't work.

"Oh no-oh no-oh no!" Eon cried, before the second thing hit her, in the form of the side of the large, hexagonal tile.

Eon held onto it for dear life, before making a fist with her right arm, and using it as a small lever to pull herself up slowly. She breathed hard, before looking up, and watching Aries continue to race towards Pi; now running in endless circles, and instantly turning to face her again, whenever he missed.

She grit her teeth hard together, before noticing one small thing.

Cancer was missing.

Eon's heartbeat was hard and loud in her ears, as they twitched in every which direction, to try to find the crab…but it was silent.

She stood up slowly; looking around herself cautiously. Where could a crab _that_ big hide?!

"Looking for us…?" Kuroha typed, before a large, black claw grabbed Eon from her right.

"AH!" She yelled, struggling to get out of the Explicant's grasp, but to no avail.

_Dang it…_ Eon thought, gritting her teeth hard, and struggling harder. _I should have been more careful…_

"It's useless. Just give it up while you're still ahead." Kuroha typed leisurely; a small, maniacal grin on his face. "I've thought of _all_ of the possibilities…and unless you can summon that beast, which you can't, it is pointless to struggle."

"What…?" Eon asked, as she temporarily stopped her desperate attempt to get out of the crab's claw.

"I said…or typed: You. Can. Not. Call. Her."

Eon's eyes widened in shock and fear.

"W-why?!" She demanded.

"Simple. I sealed her away. She's probably just a hunk of computer data now. Gone, after meeting Sora…" He explained.

It took Eon a moment to digest this, and notice the small tears begin rolling down her face again… It'd been two years since she'd cried…who'd have thought that it would have been in a video game…?

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Her…?" Eon asked slowly, as she looked down at the black claw of the crab, instead of Kuroha's face.

"Simple. I made a Multi-Directional Stopper Barrier, which stopped _you_ from calling her." He explained with a small grin. "I'm surprised though…you seemed to notice one of the glitches of it, just before you entered this room…"

Eon grit her teeth hard, as she bent her neck down, and bit onto the black claw hard.

Cancer let out an angry cry, before shaking her hard, but Eon didn't let go.

"Meut huwa bwaca!" Eon demanded through her teeth, as she bit down a little bit harder.

Kuroha's eyes widened instantly.

"L-let go of him! If you don't, you'll get infected!" He explained quickly.

"NWOA!" Eon howled through a full mouth, as she bit even harder.

Cancer let out another roar of pain, before beginning to squeeze her harder.

"_MWAAAH!_" Eon howled in pain, but she didn't let go. The squeezing increase. Harder, and harder, until it was almost unbearable.

"_I said let go, damn it!"_ Kuroha commanded, as he pulled at the opposite claw of Cancer; it did not help.

Tiny black bubbles slowly began appearing around the little dog girl, as her vision blurred slightly.

_It hurts…_ She thought, but still did not let go. _It…hurts…__dang it…Shiruba…_

Eon was beginning to have trouble keeping her eyes open, as she slowly began to notice all of the bubbles around her, though in slow motion. Her head was beginning to become heavy, so she allowed her neck to droop, but she still did not let go of the Explicant.

Cancer let out a roar of furry, before throwing Eon hard into the air.

"_No, you idiot!"_ Kuroha howled at the AIDA, but it did nothing to retrieve her.

Eon slowly looked down at her AIDA covered body; noticing her silver wings now completely covered in bubbles, and her leg almost dissolved.

She breathed deeply, before looking up at Pi above her, and twitching her hand.

"Dang…it…" She murmured, before falling down, past the white tiling of the Cyber Space, and into the twilit abyss.

She blinked her eyes shut for a moment, allowing a small tear to roll up her cheek, and into the air above her.

_I lost…_ She thought, as her body slowly rolled over. _I lost…not again…why now…?_

She opened her eyes slowly, as she watched the blue, black, and purple abyss slowly fly closer to herself. Closer, and closer…and a bit more…before the colours suddenly began to merge together, straight underneath her.

Her eyes widened instantly, as she attempted to move her body to avoid the crash course into the unknown, but nothing would move, or even slightly respond.

_Are my nerves dead…?_ She wondered, before suddenly feeling a whooshing feeling, and spinning into an entirely different place.

-

Pi looked down as Cancer threw the girl up, and past the tiling.

"No!" She howled, noticing the little back dots surrounding her.

Aries let out a howl, as he charged at Pi once more, only to be thrown off, and at Cancer by the pink beast.

"Eon!" Pi yelled, as she dived for the girl, only to watch her suddenly vanish, once past the tiling.

She turned to look at Cancer and Aries, who had just collided with each other. Cancer's claws jammed into the Ram's neck, and Aries' right clawed hoof through Cancer's left eye.

They both howled in agony for a moment, before turning to Pi angrily.

"Where did she go…?" Pi asked dangerously.

It was her fault that Eon was gone. That she was infected with Aida…that they even came here…

"Where is she?!"

-

------------------------------------------Unknown: Realm of the Gods----------------------------------------

-

The first thing that Eon noticed, was that the pain was gone.

"What…?" She murmured, before squeezing her eyes shut tighter, and slowly opening them.

Her retina burned for a moment, before she could finally see around herself.

She was lying in a large field of multicoloured flowers, and long, aromatic grass.

Eon blinked in confusion, before looking up at the bright, light blue sky. There was a small gust of wind, which blew her silver hair, and loose vest past her face and chest, as she stood up.

"Where…am I…?" Eon asked herself, as she looked around the endless field.

There were billowy white clouds in the sky above her, and a small lake near the bottom of the hill that she was standing on. A large Sakura tree was behind her; with small pink petals floating down from its tall branches.

Eon blinked her eyes shut, as one of the petals landed on her nose, before shaking it off. She grunted lightly, before stepping down the hill cautiously; unsure if a monster, or AIDA would pop out at her at any second…but nothing came.

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, as she continued to stare into the horizon of the flowers.

Was she still even _in_ The World…?

"_Hello…?_" Eon called, cupping her hands to her mouth, but there was no reply. Not even an echo.

She shivered. This place was beginning to scare her. Not only was it too _perfect_ to be in The World…but she'd never seen any place like this in her entire life…

What was going on…?

The dog girl slowly sat down cross-legged, and looked at a large red rose. It lightly swayed with the wind, but not enough to damage it, or its petals.

Eon blinked at the rose, before turning to face a shorter blue-coloured flower. It lightly swayed, just like rose, but not as far, before one of the petals flew off, and past Eon's right shoulder.

She didn't bother to turn to watch it, and instead, stood up and stretched.

"There's got to be a way out…" Eon murmured to herself, before turning to face the light lake. "Maybe there…" She muttered, looking at it with dislike.

She didn't like water…

-

----------------------------------------The Warring Capital: Lumina Cloth--------------------------------------

-

Haseo teleported into Lumina Cloth quickly, his party, minus Sakubo, behind him.

"So…where's Saku today…?" Kuhn asked, as he put his hands onto his waist, and looked around the dark city.

"Right there." Yata said calmly, as he turned towards the Icolo entrance, where a horde of fan girls were now ogling Sirius; Sakubo not too far away.

"Saku!" Haseo called, making the short Shadow Warlock turn towards him.

"Oh, it's you Haseo…" Saku muttered, before noticing Endrance behind him. "Ah! Master En! You came looking for me?! How thoughtful!" Saku cheered; hearts appearing in her PC body's eyes.

"Erm…whatever you say, Saku…" Haseo muttered, before looking beyond the girl, to the swamped Sirius.

"Are you all right…?" Haseo asked, as he attempted to push his way through the fan girls, only to be flung back out instantaneously.

They were stronger than they looked!

"I _told_ you! I want nothing to do with these…these…_Autographs!_" Sirius howled, as Alkaid snickered behind him.

"Look at you, Sirius! If I didn't know you better…I'd say that you have a problem." She said, before folding her arms behind her head.

"Stop standing there, and give me a hand, Alkaid!" Sirius yelled, before reaching down with his long arms, and attempting to push his way through the sea of Fan Girls.

There were 'oo's' and 'ah's', as Sirius finally reached Haseo, Alkaid behind him.

"It has been a while, Haseo." He greeted, with a polite crane of his overly long neck; most likely an attempt to bow.

"I guess that it has…" Haseo muttered, before glaring at the Fan's, who were now howling something about 'yaoi'…

Sirius also shot a glare at the girls, before turning back to Haseo, and noting his party.

"You are entering the Tournament…" He observed, as Kuhn nodded his head rapidly.

"Yup! And we're going all the way!" The Steam Gunner explained.

"I see…" Sirius murmured, before looking down at Alkaid, as she looked back up to him. He shot his head back towards Haseo's group, after a moment of silence. "If that is the case, then good luck to you, Haseo." He said. "We, of Icolo, have also joined the Tournament…may the best man win."

Haseo nodded his head lightly, before receiving a hard punch to the shoulder, courtesy of Alkaid.

"We'll see you in the Ranking then, Haseo! Make sure that you're in it, or I'll never forgive you!" Alkaid vowed, before racing towards the doors of Icolo, pushing past the mass of Fan Girls on her way.

After watching Alkaid leave, Haseo looked back up to Sirius, seriously.

"Sirius…before you go, I need to warn you about something." He said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes…?" Sirius said, ignoring the ogling fan girls behind him.

"AIDA has returned…and there's a high chance that teams 'Crystal Seraphim', and 'The Bad Boyz', have been infected…or at the very least, are willing to use a power, similar to our own." He explained, motioning himself and his party.

Sirius nodded quickly.

"I see…so that is why you joined…" He murmured, before shooting another glare at the girls, with his yellow, slit eyes.

He turned his head back to the Adept Rogue quickly.

"I understand, Haseo." He said, with a nod. "But, I cannot go easy on you, in the ranking; or risk angering Alkaid." He explained. "I apologize."

"Hey, don't sweat it!" Kuhn said with a large smile on his face. "We'll go the whole way, even if it means beating Icolo!"

Sirius nodded once more, before craning his long neck, to look at the sky.

"I will see you, then." He said, before logging out of The World.

Haseo turned back to his Party, before nodding to them.

"All right, let's go and gain some more WP!" He encouraged, before racing towards the registration Counter; his party hot on his trail.

-

-------------------------------------------Unknown: Realm of the Gods-----------------------------------------

-

Eon starred into the mesmerizing water for a few minutes, before actually stepping into it. It felt cold on her skin, and…_wet!_

She took a small gasp of air, before completely submerging herself into it, only to surface a moment later; freezing.

"C-C-Cold!" She muttered, before paddling over to the side, and leaning her body against. It. She floated in the water for a long time, just looking up at the sky, tiredly. The clouds moved by with the wind, but the sun never seemed to move an inch. It always stayed in the same place. She couldn't tell if it had been a minute, and hour, or even a _day_! Eon didn't even know if Pi was okay!

She was scared, that was the simplest way to put it.

Eon blinked her eyes shut for another long moment, before leaning her head back, and petting the aromatic grass next to her.

"It's soft…" She muttered, picking a piece, and holding it before her face.

She slowly opened one eye, and then the other, looking at the little stock curiously.

If this was really 'The World', then how was it, that she could _feel _things? She spun the small piece of grass between her index finger and thumb, before pocketing it carefully, and looking back into the deep, clear pool of water.

Her body was slowly becoming used to the temperature, thus she decided it was time to take a dip…

Eon took a deep breath, before submerging her head and body completely under the water once more. The water stung her eyes as she tried to open them, to see where she was going, but ignored the slight uncomfortable feeling. She'd felt worse…

She blinked a few times, everything hazy under the water, and out of focus; as if she had lost half of her vision within ten seconds. Bubbles rose to the top of the pool, as she paddled around for a while, attempting to get the hang of swimming. No one had ever taught her how.

After figuring out how to perform the doggy paddle, both in and under the water, eon took and even deep breath, before finally diving down, into the seemingly endless abyss of water.

The water became cooler, every meter that she swam, as her air supply began to run out.

_Shoot…_ Eon thought, as she blinked hard. _I need air!_

Her body began to panic for a moment, as she attempted to flip herself around, only to end up tangled and confused; unsure which way was up, or down.

_No!_ Eon thought desperately, before blinking hard again. _Air! Give me AIR!_

Then, that was when she saw a small, shiny thing from deep within the pool; about twenty feet from her current panicked point. It was shiny, like glass, but also reflective…a mirror…?

_No time for mirrors!_ Eon thought, but her body, for some reason, was drawn to it. She paddled towards it quickly, now noticed that instead of reflecting the exact light from the surface of the water, it was reflecting pinkish-orange light from an unknown source…just shining…like the surface of some water.

_What is it…?_ Eon wondered, as she forced herself to forget about her need of air. She swam even closer, before finally reaching it, and floating beside it.

_Pretty…what…?_ Eon wondered, as she saw a blurry white and orange image from within it.

_Shi...Shiru…Shiruba…?_ En wondered, but the image was too blurred from the water to tell.

That was when her heart started pounding hard; desperate from oxygen…_any_ oxygen. Eon clutched her throat, as she coughed up a bunch of bubbles.

_AIR!_ She demanded, before reaching forward with her right arm, and attempting to touch the strange mirror, in a desperate attempt to force herself up.

_Just…a little…more…!_ Eon begged, as her arm finally touched the glossy surface of the mirror.

The pinkish mirror suddenly began to glow a bright light blue, shocking Eon… Was it just her lack of Oxygen….? Eon quickly attempted to push her arm away from the mirror, upwards, but it was stuck to the glass.

Her eyes widened in even more shock.

_NO!_ She thought, as she waved her other arm around frantically, and tried to swim away…but it only stuck harder, before there was suddenly a sucking motion.

_No! No…no… _Eon thought, as her vision began to fade into darkness, as the strange mirror sucked her in even more.

_No…_ She thought one last time, before her vision turned to complete darkness.

-

The coldness from the water vanished, as Eon slowly opened her golden eyes.

It took a moment to realize what had just happened, before noticing that she was no long in the pool of water.

"Air!" She breathed, before quickly scanning her surroundings.

There were orangey-pink mirrors _everywhere._ On the walls, around the room…on the ceiling…and even floating around the black room.

"Where…am I…?" Eon asked, before suddenly recognising her surroundings a little bit more.

She was sitting _above_ a black pool of water…she'd been her _twice_ before!

"A-Aura?!" Eon called, suddenly feeling a creepy presence around her. She blinked twice, suddenly turning around, but nothing was there. "Shiruba?!" Eon yelled, now seeing the strange light-like beams, reflecting off of the mirrors.

Eon furrowed her eyebrows, as her eyes followed the beams, which all seemed to lead up to one particular spot…under the water… She looked down, deep down, before finally seeing a familiar face.

"_SHIRUBA!"_ Eon yelled, falling down onto her knees, and hitting the surface of the water, as if a barrier between her and her drowning Guardian. "Shiruba! Get up!" She yelled again, but there was no response, as she dog seemed to be in some sort of trance under the pool of black water.

Eon grit her teeth hard, as she looked around for any way to get to the beast, but there was nothing, as she could see…only the mirrors, and the lights…

She narrowed her eyes seriously, before dashing up to the nearest set of light beam, and mirror, and attempting to pull the light away…put her hand only went through it.

"NO!" She howled, as she attempted once more…and then again…

Eon spat hard, before looking up to where the light reflected, onto another mirror, before reflecting down, into the depths of the water; binding Shiruba's leg fore claw.

"The mirrors…" Eon murmured, before quickly taking ten paces back, and raced at the mirror.

There was a loud 'tong' sound, similar to that of a tuning fork, as the mirror temporarily stopped reflecting, and the light vanished.

"Shiruba!" Eon called, but it was already too late. The light once again reformed around the beasts fore claw, completely binding her once more.

Eon growled, as she quickly concentrated on calling the 'Skill Trigger', before setting her hands aflame.

"FLARE!" She shouted, as she continuously shot at every mirror within shooting range from her.

There was a series of loud 'tongs', as Eon continued to shoot, ignoring the massive headache that they were giving her.

"Come on Shiruba!" Eon yelled, as she noticed her energy slowly fading away. "Wake _UP!_"

-

Shiruba's eyes flashed open; red as flames, as she extended her long, dark silver wings, and used her powerful legs to jump up, and out of the water. She roared loudly, as her head emerged from the frozen death trap, and bared her large, white fangs towards Eon. The mirrors around the room suddenly shattered with one final, combined 'Tong', before falling into the black abyss of the water; never to be used again.

"I will _kill_ that dragon!" Shiruba vowed, as Eon quickly collapsed onto her knees, panting hard.

"You…are…awake…?" Eon asked, as she rubbed her forehead.

"Yes…thanks to you." Shiruba noted, before glaring down, into the water. "They attempted to trap, and destroy me down there." She explained, baring her fangs once more. "But I will not fall so easily…especially not to those fools…"

Eon nodded her head slowly, as she forced herself up, onto her feet.

"Before I came here…I was in a strange meadow-like place…" She explained, looking up into the beast's eyes. "Where was I…?"

Shiruba closed her eyes for a long moment before nodding her head down, into the spring.

"You were more likely within Sora's domain…" She explained, her golden eyes flashing with anger. "You must have been sent there, after obtain a substantial amount of damage, to both your mind, and body."

Eon slowly nodded her head.

"O…kay…then why am I all right…?" She asked, confused.

Shiruba sighed tiredly.

"They must have been desperate to keep you out of a coma." She explained. "It seems that 'Hades' has a use for you…"

Eon's face turned pale, before she grit her teeth hard.

"All right…but…but I need your help right now!" She demanded.

"Hmmm…?" Shiruba asked, raising her head in a proud position. "All ready begging for help…? I'd of thought you to be more…self-sufficient…" Shiruba mused.

Eon glared at Shiruba sharply, showing her determination.

"I will not beg, and I will not ask you any more…Will you help me save Pi, or not?!" Eon demanded, turning herself to face the spiralling portal that she used to exit Shiruba's domain the last time.

Shiruba pulled back her lips into a toothy grin.

"Do you really think that a Guardian can disobey a direct order from their Master….?" She questioned. "Nonetheless, from one as determined as yourself…?"

Eon allowed herself to grin as well.

"So, are we going or what…?" She asked, as the large dog stood from her sitting position, and join Eon by her side.

"Last one there is a Grunty…"

-

-----------------------------------------Epsilon Fighting Horror's Domain----------------------------------------

-

Hunter was thrown back again by Pi, spitting up some blood.

"Holy Pancakes!" He shouted. "I _knew_ that nothing good could come from something _pink_!"

"Shut it!" Kuroha ordered, as Cancer quickly entered its shell again, and teleported behind the Avenger, but Pi was ready, once again, and threw him into Hunter, who had just barely turned to face the crab.

"Agh!" Hunter cried, as Kuroha grit his teeth hard, and rubbed his bleeding forehead.

"Damn…she's stronger than I thought!" He typed angrily, as he forced Cancer to pry itself from Aries.

"Where did Eon go?!" Pi demanded once more, as Tarvos flapped her wings once, raising herself even higher.

"I don't _know_!" Hunter cried, as Aries howled again, before beginning to race in a circle around Pi. A new tactic…how nice…

Kuroha narrowed his eyes angrily at Pi.

"What good is she to you anyways?!" He demanded. "You of anyone, should know how defective she is! G.U. doesn't need anymore dead-weights!"

Pi grit her teeth hard.

"And just who are _you_ to say this?!" She demanded, as Tarvos slowly followed Aries' movements. "How can you say that she's 'defective'?!"

"Simple." Kuroha typed, with a small amused grin on his face. "Because _I_ am the one that _gave_ those three the technology to keep hackers like_ you_ out. Who said that I never looked at their data _before_ I gave it to them…?" He asked. "Nonetheless, _all_ of them are defective in one way or another! _How_ can your little 'operation' _possibly_ hope to eliminate _these_ with a few defective children?!"

Pi glared at the boy, before Aries suddenly charged at her, continuously feinting from left to right ever few steps. She bit her lip, as she watched him carefully, before narrowly dodging one of his feints, only to be hit hard with his thick horn.

"Got her…" Hunter breathed, as Tarvos floated lifelessly towards the abyss of the Cyberspace.

"It's all over…" Kuroha typed, as Cancer teleported underneath Tarvos' falling path.

Pi shut her eyes tight, but the attack never came.

_What…?_ The Admin thought, as Tarvos slowly gained the ability to float again, and opening her eyes, only to see a large, silver beast biting one of Cancer's claws into place.

"_DAMN!"_ Kuroha typed angrily, as Cancer attempted to rip its claw out of Shiruba's mouth, but he was already worn down from the fight.

Shiruba's eyes flashed a darker shade of gold, as Eon held her hand out, and squeezed her fist tight; the beast's mouth tearing the claw to pieces.

Cancer cried out in agony, as it backed away from the two of them, and quickly crawled into its shell, before teleporting behind Hunter and Aries.

"D-damn it! It's impossible!" Kuroha typed, as Hunter starred at the two of them in utter shock.

Their movements were just as coordinated and combined as his and Aries'…something that took them _weeks_ to perfect!

"You're next!" Eon howled, as her eyes slit angrily, and she bared her shiny canines.

Hunter backed up slowly, before turning to Kuroha.

"We're not going to get anywhere like this today…" He explained, as the shorter boy grudgingly agreed.

"Damn you…" Kuroha typed, as the area around them quickly began to flash brown, with large ripples. "We'll get you next time…"

Hunter and Kuroha shot their hands up, into the air, as the AIDA Explicants suddenly vanished into nothingness, before Kuroha quickly summoned his spiralling black and purple portal.

"Later!" Hunter called, and with a tip of his hat, he and Kuroha vanished into the portal, as the area suddenly regained its original appearance.

-

Eon breathed heavily, as she and Shiruba landed next to the Beast Statue, Pi and Tarvos next to her.

"A-are you all right?! What happened?!" Pi demanded, as Shiruba growled defensively, but Pi ignored her.

"I'm peachy…" Eon muttered, as she leaned down, and held her knees tiredly. "Just a little…tired…"

Pi slowly nodded, as Tarvos vanished into a number of shining pink particles, before lifting Eon's arm, and putting it over her shoulder, before helping her across the floor, to the Warp Panel.

The Treasure Chest could wait another day…

-

-------------------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu------------------------------------------

-

Eon leaned against the railing in Alchemy District tiredly; the streets being almost completely empty from the Warrior Palace's latest match against Crystal Seraphim.

"What happened in there…?" Pi asked, as she leaned next to Eon. "Why didn't you run when I told you to?!"

Eon half-glared at Pi with her left eye, before she leaned a little bit further back.

"Because if I did that, they'd have killed you. You remember what Shiruba said! Only 'Guardian's' can 'Data Crack'! You'd be gone if I showed up a moment later!" The dog girl explained.

Pi let out a small, agitated grunt, but she had to admit; for once Eon was right.

"Then what happened to you? How did you get infected by that AIDA…?" Pi asked.

Eon paused, choking on possible words…_lies_ to say.

"I…it…" She murmured, as Pi turned around to face the sun of Mac Anu, obviously waiting for the answer.

Eon furrowed her eyebrows in thought for a long moment. Should she _really_ tell her, and risk losing anything and everything…? Or just play dumb…?

"I'm waiting." Pi said calmly, though she did not move from her spot.

Eon grit her teeth hard, before finally sighing, and looking at the ground sheepishly.

_Don't you DARE tell her, squirt…_ Shiruba warned. _If you tell 'er, I'll kill you!_

_And how do you plan on doing that…?_ Eon asked sarcastically, before ignoring the rest of the threats that Shiruba began to spew continuously.

"He caught me in my blind spot." Eon explained, as Pi looked at her with the corner of her eye.

"'Blind spot'…?" Pi asked.

"Yep." Eon answered.

_DAMN BRAT! I SAID SHUT IT!_ Shiruba howled, but Eon continued to ignore her.

"Shiruba doesn't want me to tell you this…and for good reason too." Eon explained, brushing back her silver bangs out of impulse to do _something_. "But, I decided to tell you anyways..."

"Tell me what?" Pi asked, narrowing her eyes.

Eon shut her eyes tight. Her stomach was doing back flips right now; and it didn't help that Shiruba was yelling at her to stop. Wasn't it obvious that she didn't want to say this the way that it was?!

Pi turned around towards Eon, a serious expression on her face.

"Tell me what, Eon?" She asked, making the butterflies double.

"I…Pi, I'm sorry…" Eon muttered, looking down again, gritting her teeth together.

"Sorry about what?" Pi asked. "If you've done nothing wrong, then there is no reason to apologize." She explained.

_Nothing wrong__ huh…?_ Eon wondered, before looking up at the orange sky of Mac Anu. She took her right hand, and covered her right eye, but it made no difference to the beautiful view.

"Pi…" Eon murmured, before turning to the Admin; removing the hand from her face. "My right eye can't see!"

-

* * *

- 

Y¬Y Dude…this is the _last_ time that I write a chapter this long! …or at least a chapter this long, with such a time restraint!

I had to finish this chapter _before_ Friday, the 30th, since I lose my 'Word'…and I can't believe that I made the deadline! (Looks surprised)

This chapter was FORTY FIVE PAGES LONG! 16300 words! CRAZY DUDE! XD;;;

Well, what did you think…? Hah! Forced you to read the end to find out the secret! Aren't I nice? (Not! XP) Now looking back at the chapter, I wonder if you can see the 'secret'...? I think that I emphisized it three or four times...

This chapter was actually quite hard to write; mostly during the 'Shino' and 'toboggan' parts, since I had to _finally_ introduce 'Solstice', and add in some humour on the hills! XD

I hope that you enjoyed it…and if you did, please send in a review! I want to reach 30 after this chapter! (That means just three! You can do it!)

I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I hope moderately soon… So, until then;

Jya ne! Au Revior! Sayonara! See you Puko's!


	10. Teaching

Whee…Chapter 10 of .hack//G.U.: Return. (Man this took forever! Writer's block SUCKS!)

Disclaimer; .hack, .hack characters, and anything to do with it doesn't belong to me. XP

Axel, Hikaru, Hunter, Kuroha, Ginny, Aurum and 'the Guild Master' all belong to Miffin. If you take them, feel her fiery wrath.

Denki, Eon, Koji, Shiruba and the plot belong to me. Don't take them, or feel Eon's fiery wrath.

Well, this is the first chapter that I've ever attempted to write on a lower version of Word… Y¬Y;; I want my other version back!!

(This one involves too much clicking!) (Plus, I have to fix all of the Dictionary words again…and add words and names like 'Hikaru' back in…what a pain...Not to mention, that I've now noticed that it catches even LESS mistakes, than the last version… ¬¬)

Also, thanks for all of the reviews! WHOO! 30 now! Good job! XD

Dusk Ado helped me come up with the first part of this chapter, so thanks, puko! XD (If not for him, I'd of STILL not even started this chapter…)

Yaaay! If you're still reading this, then congratulations! You've just opened up the tenth chapter of this fic! Welcome to chapter Ten: Teaching! Douzo!

-

* * *

- 

**Chapter 10: Teaching**

-

The silence that permeated the air reached an unbearable level, and Eon had to speak, to apologize, to say _something_ to break it, or she'd go insane!

"I'm sorry, Pi. I should have told you…" Eon said with her head down. Her eyes…or more so, her _eye,_ looked at the ground before her. She dared not lift her head, to look at the Admin. She was just too…afraid…

Pi was speechless…almost.

"You...can't see through your right eye…?" She questioned, though this did not come to her by total surprise. She _knew_ that she had seen something before that data vanished…and she was right.

"I have a 'retinal detachment'; I was taken out of school because of it. My parents thought that it was 'contagious'…" Eon explained monotonously. She had said this entire statement too many times for her to count, and it was getting repetitive. "And recently, someone's been trying to hack my character to get that information…but I won't let them see it!" She announced.

Pi's eye twitched... How could she _still_ not know that it was _herself,_ who was trying to hack into her character this _entire_ time?! Somehow, _somehow_, she _knew_ that she was being hacked, and yet…not by _whom_?! Then what was the point of the E-mail that she sent her?! A bluff?!

"Someone's been trying to hack your character…?" Pi asked, as calmly as she could…which she had to admit, was not easy.

Eon nodded her head hard.

"Y-yes…" She murmured, her ears flattened against her head.

Pi crossed her arms over her chest, before stepping around to Eon's right, and waving her hand in front of her.

There was no reaction. Eon just stood there obliviously, though her right ear twitched to the sound of the waving.

Pi withdrew her hand, before grabbing Eon by the wrist hard, with the other.

"H-huh?!" Eon whined, as Pi quickly dragged her towards the Warp Panel. "Wh-where are we going?!" She demanded.

"To the Serpent of Lore." Pi answered bluntly, as she opened up her Main Menu, and selected 'Short Mail'. She quickly typed in a blunt message, and sent it to all Epitaph Users, and Guardian Masters. Now was not the time to mess around. _This_ was serious…

-

---------------------------------------Raven: The Serpent of Lore------------------------------------

-

It felt like a court room, to Eon. People starring at her, like she had committed murder; which she didn't… Gasps of shock, like she had done something unthinkable; was it really that bad…? And even the smart one, _Yata,_ looked horrified. The only difference that Eon could see at the moment, between _this_ and an actual court room, was that there was one tenth of the people, the room was almost completely black (fit more so for interrogations than court), the 'trial' was totally one-sided, and the fact that they were inside of a _video game_.

She grit her teeth hard. The last one was the worst part of it… The World was the only place that she could _ever_ escape to; where _no one_ would know about her disability…and yet, here she was, in the middle of G.U.'s 'court room'…

"Is this true, Eon…?" Yata asked strictly, his eyes narrowed behind his orange lenses.

Eon swivelled her head around uncomfortably, to face away from Yata, and the rest of the Epitaph Users to the best of her ability, before grudgingly nodding her head.

"It is…" She answered in a low mutter.

The Macabre Dancer's eyes narrowed even more, anger pulsing through him like venom. He moved so fast, that Eon had no time to react, before he grabbed her by the collar, and lifted her PC body into the air. He glared at her, with his dark eyes, before hoisting her as high as he possibly could.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" He demanded, shaking her once hard.

Eon let out a small grunt, as if in pain, but did not look at him. She allowed her PC body's eyes to wander away from the Guild's leader, and towards the monitors behind him. She couldn't face him like this!

Yata shook her hard once more, this time slightly swinging her.

"Why _didn't_ you tell us?!" He asked again, the venomous anger on the tip of his tongue.

Eon's ears flattened, as she looked down at the ground. She pulled her lips apart, as if ready to speak, before realizing that she couldn't talk. Her mouth was completely dry. She didn't even _notice_ it earlier…was she really that scared…? Not _once_ did she _ever_ hear of Yata getting mad at _any_ of the other G.U. members…so why was he picking on her now?!

Another shake came from the Dancer, as Eon clamped her eyes shut. Even though this was a game, she could imagine the motion of moving back and forth; the force of the shaking, and the anger with it.

"Stop it!" Axel howled angrily, as he stepped forward, towards the two of them, before Kuhn held his hand out in front of him to make him stop. Axel starred at the Steam Gunner in shock, as Kuhn shook his head tiredly. Axel grit his teeth hard together, before turning to Hikaru, who was also starring at the sight, eyes glazed over in deep, contemplating thought. He looked like he wanted to help too…but knew that he couldn't at a time like this… It was up to Eon to defend herself…

"I couldn't!" Eon suddenly yowled, reaching up and grabbing Yata's wrist with both of her hands. She desperately began to pull at the arm, attempting to make it let go, but Yata held on tightly; determined for an answer. She was done feeling sorry for herself! The look from Hikaru told her it all. _She_ was her only chance now! Only _she_ could protect herself, and her place in this 'World'!

"You _couldn't_…?" He asked, his fingers curling around the black collar tighter. "You _couldn't_ tell us that you were half blind…? That you _couldn't_ see anything on the entire right half of your body…?"

Eon bit her teeth together hard, before yanking once more.

"No, I couldn't!" She answered, now just as determined as the Guild Master. "If I _did_ tell you, then what _would_ you have done to me?!" Eon demanded. "Force me to sit out? Make me stay in this Guild forever? Possibly even kick me out of this _game_?!"

Yata's eyes narrowed, as he continued to glare up at her, but Eon didn't flinch, or even react. She had turned her blind eye to his expression; both figuratively, and literally.

"Of course I'd of stopped you from exterminating the AIDA!" He howled back, shaking her hard yet again. "Of _course_ I'd of stopped you from going on any sort of G.U.-related missions! But do you know _why_?!" He demanded, angry wrinkles appearing around the base of his nose. "Because _this_ job is the most dangerous in all of 'The World'! Do you _not_ understand what risks you have, just _witnessing_ the AIDA, nonetheless _exterminating_ it?! Even Epitaph Users can become Lost Ones, Eon!" He yelled, before flinging her onto the ground before him.

Eon had no time to react, before landing hard on her back, in front of the Macabre Dancer. She glared up at him, ears folding behind her head angrily, as she bared her canine-like fangs at him.

"Of course I know." She answered bitterly. "But I don't _care_! I will play this game, no matter _how_ dangerous it is; no matter _what_ risks there are! And if Aura wants me to fight, then I _will_ fight for her!" Eon explained, glaring up at Yata.

Yata clenched his fists together hard. How could she be so…so_ foolish_?! Didn't he _just_ explain that she could become a Lost One? Didn't he _just_ say that it was dangerous?! It's hard enough making sure that all of the Epitaph Users stay in tact, nonetheless a half-blind _child_! So what if she had a Guardian?! What good would it do her if she ended up in a _coma_ in the end?! Ovan was already gone! He couldn't risk losing anybody else to the AIDA!

He shut his eyes tightly, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before looked back down at the girl. She hadn't even bothered to get up; only hoisting herself on right elbow. Did she _really_ want to keep on fighting, even with the odds so against her…?

_No…no thinking like that…_ Yata told himself. _You can't put anyone else in danger…for their sake, as well as The World's!_

Yata removed his hand from his face, before glaring down at the girl one final time. His decision had been made…if only rash, he wished not…

"Get up." He ordered strictly.

Eon grunted angrily, as she grudgingly obeyed the Macabre Dancer.

"What?" She asked, her eyes slit to the thickness of paper.

"Get out." Yata said bluntly. It was the only way that he could say it like this. He _knew_ that they needed all of the help that they could get, but with one of the final three Guardian Masters being in Crystal Seraphim, and the other two's location unknown, nonetheless _who_ they were…it was the best decision that he could make…

"What…?" Eon asked, lowering her guard somewhat. It came to her as shock, that he would just tell her go away.

"I said leave." Yata repeated. "You are no longer a part of Operation G.U.. If you are ever caught facing AIDA, or abusing the privileges that you have once held as a G.U. member, you account will be erased, and you will be kicked out of this game."

Eon's heart pounded hard, as the final words left his lips.

_No…longer…?_ She wondered. _But then…they don't need…or want me anymore…?_

_Tough luck, squirt._ Shiruba said calmly, from within Eon's head. _Looks like we got the boot from this hell-house._

Eon looked at the ground thoughtlessly, her eyes glazed, and her mind dazed.

_No more AIDA…or no more playing…?_ Eon asked herself, as her legs slowly led her towards the door.

"I'll log out for today…" She whispered to no one in particular. This was too much to take in for the moment… The choice of battling the AIDA, which she promised she would destroy, and to never play again…or to break that promise, and never worry about AIDA, or the problems of The World ever again…playing the game like an average player…

This choice was one of the hardest choices that Eon had ever made in her life.

-

Axel slammed his foot into the ground, making Kuhn flinch in shock, before pushing past the blue-haired Steam Gunner, and up to Yata.

"You bastard!" He howled, clenching his fists at his sides tightly. "Why the _hell_ did you do that?!" He demanded, his green eyes slitting in a way, similar to Ginryuu's.

"Axel!" Pi called angrily, but Yata silenced her with the wave of his hand. She let out an uneasy grunt, before stepping back into place. Yata had already lost his patience once today…something she _never_ thought that she would see…especially within The World…

"What else was I supposed to do then, Axel…?" The Macabre Dancer asked, raising an eyebrow behind his tinted glasses. "Was I _supposed_ to say, 'all right, I forgive you'? Or possibly, 'Here's your next AIDA-related assignment'…?"

Yata folded his arms across his chest tightly, as he narrowed his eyes at the Twin Blade. How could he never think before acting?! He seemed to be like Haseo, when he first used his Avatar, Skeith… Uncontrollable. If he had just told him sooner, _none_ of this would have happened here today!

"If you think that _that_ was what I was supposed to say, Axel, then I don't see how you can be such a good _friend_ to that girl. You should understand how dangerous this job is, with or without a handicap!" He explained heartlessly. "She even admitted it herself, of having been in a coma once before! Do you truly wish for her to be put into one, yet again…?"

Axel bit his teeth together hard, as he flexed his fingers in and out of fists. He was seriously contemplating on what would happen if he hit the 'all mighty' Leader of G.U. right now... No one, _no one_ questioned how much of a friend he is with Eon! Even if she had a handicap, she was _still_ a person! To discard her so easily…ticked him off more than he could describe in words.

"You bastard…" Axel hissed again, before turning his back to Yata, and heading towards the exit of the Serpent of Lore; Hikaru following him at a normal, walking pace.

Yata turned his back to Axel as well, facing the monitors at the front of the room. His eyes scanned them quickly, noticing the little dog girl shakily save at the Save Shop, before logging out of The World. He couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt. He _never_ yelled. Not once could he ever remember losing his cool in The World. Not in R:1, nor any time in R:2 either…until today. He silently cursed. For all of G.U. to see him in such a…unsophisticated state, was like them seeing him with a second head on his shoulders!

If only this had never happened…

"Axel." He said, though he did not turn to face him.

Axel didn't respond, but stopped silently, and listened.

Yata remained silent for a long moment, to make sure that Axel was still paying attention, before continuing. "If I find you, or Hikaru, helping that girl fight the AIDA, or doing anything else that is G.U. related… I will not hesitate to erase her account for this game." He finished, a small lump in the bottom of his gut.

Could he _really_ do that…? What if Shiruba didn't return with her account lost? What if she _did_ return, but was lost to Crystal Seraphim…what if they were targeting her already?!

Axel made a small grunt of understanding, distracting Yata from his current thoughts and worries.

"Whatever…" He muttered, before exiting the Guild with Hikaru.

Yata grunted once, turning back to the remaining six Epitaph Users.

"You are all dismissed." He said bluntly. "Return to the Arena, and win some more WP Points. I will not be joining you."

Haseo nodded, before heading out, the rest of G.U. following him quickly; Pi following last.

"Master Yata…" She murmured, but Yata held up an arm, before turning back towards the monitors.

"I have…work to do..." He lied, beginning to type in random coordinates into the floating, transparent keyboard before him.

Pi was silent for a long moment, before finally turning towards the doorway, where Haseo was waiting for her.

"Let's go, Pi…" Haseo murmured, and with a slight nod, they left the Guild.

-

----------------------------------Offline: Ippikiookami Residence------------------------------------

-

Eon starred up at her ceiling unblinkingly.

_To fight AIDA, or no…?_

Those were the only words that continued to float in her head. No matter what she did, the thoughts wouldn't leave her. She had a choice to make, and couldn't rest until she figured something out.

She sighed impatiently, before shutting her eyes, and sitting up on the bed. She waited, then opened them once more, and looked at the nearly-empty room that surrounded her. The only colours in the pure-white room came from the navy-blue carpet, the small window just above her desk, too far for her to reach; now reflecting pale blue light onto the wall and desk below, and the few posters that Axel had got her years ago, of shows she did not know.

Eon blinked, before looking down at her palm. She squeezed it once into a fist, before opening it again, and examining paler skin turn back to its peachy-colour.

"Two choices, huh…?" She asked herself quietly, standing up, and looking at the desk in front of herself.

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly in deep thought, before turning to face door. She reached her hand towards the door handle, but instead of pushing the level-like handle, waved her hand through thin air.

Eon grunted uncomfortably. The lack of an eye affected more than just one thing. Her depth perception was off too…not that it was news to her…she normally missed the handle the first try.

After successfully turning the handle, and leaving her room, Eon walked out into a narrow hallway, then stepped down three short steps, into a small kitchen. She looked around for a moment, before finally seeing a small piece of paper left on the table.

_Again…?_ She thought tiredly, slowly walking over to the table, and picking up the note.

"_Be back late. Food in fridge. Mom."_

Eon sighed tiredly. She almost never saw her parents anymore. She didn't even know where they _worked_ anymore…and at times, even forgot their faces.

She ate a cold dinner of leftover rice, and spring rolls, before finally retreating back into her room; ignoring the knock on the door as she left the kitchen. It was probably Axel…not that she wanted to see much of anyone right now…

On in her room, Eon instantly stepped over to her desk and grabbed the back of her chair with slight difficulty, before sitting down on its cushioned seat. She reached over, halfway across the desk, towards her M2D; furrowing her eyes in concentration as she attempted to pick it up first try. Her hand missed. With a small sigh, Eon put her palm on the desk, and moved it across, towards the small contraption until her index finger touched it. With a small smile, she picked it up, and quickly placed it over her eyes. Even though she had been offline for little more than an hour, she already missed the game. 'The World' was addicting; she had to admit it.

She reached to her left, and with a little less difficulty, picked up the one-handed controller, and held it ready. She quickly clicked the directional button to the right, and saw that there were no new E-mails…or at least ones that she wanted to read, and flipped over a few more times to the Forums page. Eon flipped through some of the Posts randomly, not bothering to read full sentences, and skimming only until she saw something that looked interesting, only to find that it was nothing more than a rumour. After an half hour of useless, rumour-only posts, she finally gave up on finding anything worth-while doing for solo-quests, and exited the Forums page (After reading an interesting post about Zelkova going on a Chim Chim hunt…). She then flipped back a few times, letting the cursor hover over top of the large 'The World' symbol for a matter of seconds.

Her heart beat abnormally fast.

She blinked a couple of times, attempting to figure out if it was the right thing to do, going back into the game before Yata had calmed down (Saying that he _would_ calm down at all…she could no longer predict what the Macabre Dancer was thinking, like she could do with some other players…).

Finally, Eon decided that there was no point in fearing entering The World. So long as she stayed away from AIDA and the Crystal Seraphim, Yata and the rest of G.U. had no reason to bother her.

-

-------------------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu----------------------------------------

-

It took a few seconds for the game to load, before Eon was surrounded by the dark graphics of the Mac Anu Cathedral. She looked around wearily for a long second, to be _absolutely_ sure that no one in G.U. would pounce on her for not telling them her secret, before allowing her guard to drop, and exiting the building.

She held her arm up to her eyes, as the bright sun of the sea-side city blinded her; slowly walking across the connecting bridge to the central Area. She allowed a small, almost faint smile upon her lips as she lowered her hand. This city was so beautiful. Could she _really_ give it up, just to keep a promise that she made to herself, and an AI…?

"Come one, come all, to the Shop Acorn!" A familiar voice called, catching Eon's immediate attention, as she looked down the stairway, towards a short, chubby beastman, and his green clad friend.

"Come and get your merchandise here!" The green one called cheerfully; a large smile across his face. "We sell Weapons, Armour, Healing Items, and even Alchemy Materials!"

"Yeah!" The chubby one called, a smile even larger than the green one's on his lips. "All collected by our famous Guild Master, Haseo!"

Eon blinked, surprised, before finally realising where she had seen the two of them before. She narrowed her eyes angrily. These were the two that were convinced that she was a 'Noob' when her level was Date Drained! How did she even _manage_ to forget their faces?!

She slowly began to descend from the steps, until she finally noticed that their shop was almost completely empty. All of the passer-bys seemed to ignore them, and carry on with their business elsewhere, or just plainly avoid eye-contact and leave.

It was about then that the chubby one's ears flattened sadly, as he took his seat behind the counter, and the green one slowly sat beside him; both looking equally depressed. This must have been happening for a while…though Eon knew nothing of it. She never paid attention to the shops, and bought all of her items from Vital Vista and NPC's. Even in the days of the 'TAN', she never truly paid them any attention, or did any business with them. She didn't like large Guilds…

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, before approached the two of them slowly.

She didn't like the looks of things, whether she was a G.U. member or not, and _obviously_ couldn't ignore them at a time like this! It seemed to her that even _Haseo_, their _Guild Master_ didn't know what was going on right now! He never mentioned a thing around her, or any other G.U. members to her knowledge…

"Erm…hi…!" Eon greeted awkwardly, as she lifted her arm up to wave, though it's elbow-up remained glued to her side.

The beastman jumped up instantly, overjoyed with the fact that some player was _talking _to him, before turning to the green 'Silibus'. (As his character name read.)

"Hello!" 'Gaspard' greeted her, his tail wagging wildly. "Welcome to Shop Acorn! How may I help you?!" He asked.

"Erm…" Eon murmured, unsure of what to do. Deciding against just plainly asking out 'where is everybody', she opened up their shop menu and looked over their goods. After a few seconds, she decided it would be in both of their interests to buy something…even if she didn't normally buy Guild-shop goods. "So…how much are your Healing Potions…?" She asked as politely as she could. She was never taught manners…not that she saw that as a bad thing…

Gaspard looked to Silibus for a moment, obviously in 'Party Chat: Whisper', before turning back to her.

"300 GP!" He answered cheerfully, though Eon could sense that it was forced.

She gave him a dumbfounded look.

"That cheap?!" She demanded. "How can you make a profit lowering the prices to almost_ half_ of NPC prices?!"

Gaspard flinched back in shock, before turning to Silibus one more time. The taller boy was quiet, before nodding to the beastman, as he lowered his head sadly.

"Well, you see…ever since the 'Crystal Seraphim' team has shown up in the arena, people have just stopped buying here…" He explained.

"It's like the players' way of cheering." Silibus explained, a small touch of coldness in his voice. "They believe that that team will be able to win the 'Warrior Palace Tournament', and choose to buy there, in Saal Haku, instead of here. They think that _they_ will become the next 'Team Haseo'…"

"So they now ignore us all over again…" Gaspard finished, looking at the ground sadly, hugging his large tummy.

Eon slowly nodded; her temper boiling under her skin. How could these players be so cold hearted and _stupid_?! She grit her teeth together hard in the real world for a long instant, before finally allowing herself to speak to them.

"How can they do that…" She murmured, sickened by their 'logic'. "Who _cares_ who wins, or becomes famous?! It's just a stupid Tournament! Ignoring certain shops like this is stupid!" She said coldly.

Gaspard nodded his head hard.

"Y-yeah!" He sniffed, "I never even get to see the smiling faces of players anymore, now that they don't come her anymore!" he explained, before moving his large hands to his eyes, and beginning to cry.

Silibus crouched down to his height, and began to attempt to comfort the beastman, before Eon's patience finally snapped. She slammed her fist onto the crate-like counter hard, making the two of them look at her instantly, before lifting her hand back up. (And shaking it in the real world, for accidentally doing the same thing on her desk…)

"Those jerks are going to pay…" She murmured coldly, as the two of them looked at her, confusion in their eyes. She allowed herself a small, toothy grin, before looking back down to the beastman. "How about we make a deal? I give you 700 GP for every Healing Potion in your stock…so…29400 GP for the 42 that you have…and in return for your kind offer…" She murmured, her grin widening. "I'll get _my_ team to help beat the pants off of 'Crystal Seraphim'!" She announced, gaining multiple sudden stares from all of the passer-bys. It was not every day that someone was foolish enough to announce that they would beat 'Crystal Seraphim' in broad daylight anymore…

Gaspard and Silibus starred at her, dumbstruck, before the beastman finally launched himself over the counter, (at a pretty good speed to boot, for such a short and chubby guy…) and glomped Eon around the waist; nearly making her fall over.

"O-okay, y-you can get off now!" Eon croaked, beginning to try to push the Tu Tribe member off of herself, but he clung on tightly.

"Th-thank you so much!" He wailed. "That's the nicest thing that anyone's done for us, since Haseo beat Kestrel in the Demon Palace Tournament!" he explained through sobs.

A large sweat drop appeared on Eon's head, as her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink in the real world. So many people were watching her now…

"Y-yeah…" She murmured, finally managing to push him off. "But Haseo won't know about this, got it…?" She asked, putting her index finger to her mouth in a 'shh' position. "Got it…?"

Gaspard nodded his head rapidly, as he quickly ran (or more-like waddled) back to the opposite side of the counter once more to join Silibus, who was beaming as well. He quickly wiped the tears from his PC body's eyes, before quickly handing her the Healing Potions.

"That will be 29400 GP please!" He said with a large grin on his face.

Eon couldn't help but smile back, as she accepted the item from the beastman. It felt good to be helping someone out for once…

-

-----------------------------Lumina Cloth: Warrior Palace Tournament------------------------

-

Haseo's Twin Blade ripped through his opponent like paper, as he turned to face the final remaining threat to them, and their victory.

He was a tall, thin, human-Blade Brandier…but also well trained. Already, he had taken out both Atoli and Sakubo twice alone, not to mention nearly taking out Kuhn with a powerful 'Devastation Sword' tech attack.

Haseo grit his teeth together hard, as he sized him up; the Brandier doing the exact same thing, as they slowly circled each other. Haseo's crimson eyes quickly flashed to a darker, bloodier shade, as he let out a loud howl, and flung himself at his opponent quickly, ripping out his scythe as he did so.

As if expecting it, the Brandier, held the guard button tightly, as Haseo's weapon and his made contact, pushing him back a bit, just an inch from the barrier, before he stopped moving back, and held his position with Haseo's in a lock. He grinned sadistically. He _knew_ that the rest of Haseo's party couldn't help him right now! He _knew_ that Haseo was the only thing keeping them together right now! All of G.U. was unnerved by Yata's sudden mood swing, and haven't had time left to recover! He should have chosen a weaker opponent to face…

Pi was busy healing Kuhn slowly with continuous Repth spells, only pausing long enough for her tech bar to fill once more to cast, and Kuhn was currently resurrecting Atoli, as Endrance was Sakubo. Haseo knew that they were doing their best right now…but he couldn't help but wish that they'd speed it up a notch; this Brandier was already beginning to push _him_ back!

"Is the 'Terror of Death' losing his touch…?" The tall Brandier asked smugly, as Haseo was slowly pushed back another inch.

He grit his teeth hard.

"Dammit…" Haseo murmured between his clenched jaws, pushing the Brandier back with all of his might. "I won't lose!" He howled! Haseo quickly pushed hard one last time, before jumping back, and whipping out his Twin Guns, shocking the Brandier.

He allowed himself a small grin.

"What…? Though that I only had _two_ weapons?!" Haseo demanded, before he used 'Justice' on the Brandier, shooting him high into the air, and finishing with a Double Trigger.

He fell to the ground lifelessly, though Haseo knew that he must have been cursing his name as soon as the final Hit Point vanished from his screen…not that it mattered to him. They were now one step closer to fighting Crystal Seraphim. That was all that mattered.

-

As soon as Haseo exited the Arena, the Message finally came.

'Congratulations Team Haseo! You have currently gained enough WP Points to enter the Warrior Palace Tournament's final ranking!' It read. 'You will be contacted for your first match, in the B-stream via E-mail. Thank you for participating in this event.'

Haseo allowed himself a small grin.

_Finally…we made it!_ He thought, as he turned to the rest of the Epitaph Users behind himself.

"We did it." He informed. "We finally made it into the ranking!"

Kuhn silently punched the air, before letting out a victorious howl of delight, and wrapping his arm around Pi's shoulder, who quickly pushed it off and bent it behind his back hard.

"O-okay Pi! Th-that hurts now…!" He whined, as the Tribal Grappler began to pull harder, making him slowly lose more HP.

"Hmph. I'll admit, you were pretty good, Haseo…" Saku murmured defiantly. "But you're still nowhere as good as Master En! He even resurrected me, while _you_ were busy _playing_ with that Brandier!" She explained coldly.

Haseo let Saku's comment slide, as he turned to face Atoli, who was clutching her hands together tightly.

"Th-that means that we just need to beat the rest of the teams in the ranking to face them!" She explained cheerfully. "This is wonderful, Haseo! It's just like before!"

Haseo nodded, as he slowly turned towards the stairway of the Arena, before noticing a small, silver-haired dog girl quickly approach the registration counter. He couldn't help but gawk as Eon finally finished her registering, and turned in their general direction, also mildly surprised at seeing them as well.

She stepped up to them calmly, after gaining enough nerves to approach her previous 'co-workers', and gave a small wave in greeting.

"Hi." She said bluntly.

It took a few seconds for the word to process in Haseo's brain, before he finally greeted her back with another simple 'hi'.

"Why are you here?" Pi asked strictly, finally releasing Kuhn from her death-grip. "I thought that you logged off for the day."

Eon shrugged tiredly. "I did. Whoever said that there was a limit to how many times I can come back online though…?" She questioned, her eyes flashing to a playful yellow shade. "I just came back on a little while ago."

Pi glared at Eon hard.

"You didn't answer the question of _why_ you're here!" She explained angrily.

Eon sighed once more.

"Is it not obvious, Ms. Pi…?" Eon asked, grinning. "I'm here to win some more WP Points for Team Shinigami. How else will we enter the tournament's ranking with only fifty points…?"

Kuhn gapped at her.

"Your team already has _fifty_ points?! How long have you been doing this?! What's you doubled team?!" He demanded.

Eon giggled a tiny bit.

"For the first one, we've been doing this for only two days. It's pretty easy to gain WP when you have a renowned PKer in the party." She said, allowing a canine tooth to stick out of her mouth. "And as for the double…? We don't have one. I'm even going solo for today." She said, her grin widening.

Haseo narrowed his eyes.

"Don't kid around. There's _no_ way that you can beat five teams by _yourself_!" He stated, remembering her disability.

Eon scoffed angrily.

"You _think_ that I can't handle my own in there…?" She asked, her eyes slitting. "Do you all _really_ think that I am nothing more than a dead weight?!" She demanded. Eon barred her teeth angrily at the six of them, as she clenched her fist tightly. "I'll show you all then, if you want to watch." She finally said, as her anger began to diminish. "I'll beat the five teams in a 'Survival Match', with no help at all! I won't even call Shiruba, like those cheaters in Crystal Seraphim!" Eon yelled, as she stomped into the Warp Panel behind Kuhn, and teleported into the waiting area.

-

-------------------------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore-----------------------------------

-

Yata didn't need the E-mail to see that Eon was serious about showing her 'true power'. He had been watching the monitor with her on it, ever since she had entered The World. Did she _truly_ think that she was safe from his eyes…? He could see the entire World with the Serpent of Lore!...so why say something as foolish as 'I'm going to beat Crystal Seraphim' in public?!

The Macabre Dancer rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. He was still unsure of what to make of this entire mess. He had to admit, he was wrong to yell…and wasn't even sure if kicking her out of G.U. was the best idea in the first place…but he really had no other choice…or at least, no other ideas.

Why did he have to yell…? Why did he have to lose his cool?! He didn't even _know_ that he had a temper until today! To lose it on a _ten year old child_…was humiliating! He, of _all_ people, should have kept his cool, and look at where it had landed him now! Confused, and unsure of his next move! He couldn't simply go up to her now and ask her to rejoin G.U…and he couldn't just erase her account from the game, and risk losing Shiruba for good!...so what else could he do?! To his eyes, she was free as a bird, within 'The World'…

Yata sighed tiredly. How could he let this happen to himself? He had been beating himself up for it for the past two hours. It was just so unlike him…that it _sickened_ him!

The sound of a buzzer distracted him, as he looked back up at the monitor, seeing that the fight had begun already, and Eon was quickly weaving through six players carefully, avoiding all attacks to the best of her ability. She was always moving her PC body around, so the right was protected by the side of the barrier, or she would turn every few seconds to face another fifty degrees to cover in the blind spot.

Yata furrowed his eyebrows in interest. He had to admit, he'd never actually _seen_ her fight head to head with anyone…he only ever saw her fight against the AIDA with Shiruba, which was completely different. She was like a totally different person on the battle field, than on a mission, or speaking with other G.U. members. She actually seemed…reliable, and self sufficient.

A Blade Brandier quickly went down, as Eon used her 'Raising Beast' technique on him, before quickly jumping out of an Edge Punisher's way, only to be hit by a powerful, Vak Don spell. She quickly recovered, ignoring the small chunk of missing Hit Points, as she flung herself at the Shadow warlock viciously. To him, it just seemed like an honest mistake, for her to be hit by that attack…as it would seem to the entire Arena audience. Who would know that she was half blind, with such a good, moving strategy, to fill in the blind spots…?

-

The Shadow Warlock went down instantly, as Eon swiped at her with her claws aflame. She instantly turned to face the Edge Punished once more, who had just entered her blind spot a moment earlier. She wouldn't let him get her… She quickly did a back flip towards the barrier, landing about an inch from its blue flames, before quickly dashing towards him with all of her might.

"I'm not going to lose!" She howled, as her eyes slit, and ears bent backwards, angrily. She quickly ducked underneath his broadsword, before igniting her claws once more. "Blazing Tiger!" She howled, going into a rampaging series of scratches at his torso, chest, and legs.

The Edge Punished went down as if he was nothing more than a mere doll to Eon's claws, as she turned to face the remaining four competitors. She was panting, both in the real world and online. She couldn't help it. This was a hard fight, and she had to admit it. She _may_ have gone over her head to try to take on _five_ teams straight…but seeing their terrified expressions _told_ her that she had them working _just_ as hard as she was! They didn't have a Harvest Cleric with them, Eon noticed. Their only 'healer', was the Brandier that she took out before, and chubby Tu Tribe member in the back; also another Shadow Warlock like she had defeated only moments earlier.

She grinned, already coming up with her new plan of action.

_The Tu Tribe guy goes first…then the secondary leader, the beastman Partizan. He's slow, and easy enough to take._ She thought, still panting; her eyes (Or eye) scanning over them every time she took a breath. She couldn't let them sneak up on her. Her Hit Points were at half, and a decent strike would take her out. She narrowed her eyes as she looked over them again. _They don't look like they have any resurrecting items OR magic…lucky for me…but to be safe, I'll need to take out the physical attackers first, then leave a Warlock to give me time to heal…_

Eon suddenly dashed towards the backlines of her opponent's set up, easily moving past the Partizan, and then his tall, Adept Rogue friend, who attempted to skewer her with a long, pole arm-like weapon. She smiled as she leap-frogged over the third Shadow Warlock's head, and flung herself at the Tu Tribe warlock; her eyes flashing to a dangerous gold.

"Take this!" Eon howled loudly. "Aero Flash!"

Eon's silver wings suddenly whipped out from her back, and set aflame instantly; her body glowing a light silver colour. She quickly flapped her wings twice, forcing herself higher into the Arena's air, before suddenly slapping them shut in front of herself, right into one another. Several flaming feathers flew from the wings, and towards the shocked Tu Tribe Member, slicing through him like a hot knife through butter. A few of the extra feathers wheeled themselves around like Chakrams, and flew towards the Adept Rogue and Partizan, who were barely able to avoid them, as Eon quickly landed on her feet.

"Had enough…?" She question, a sadistic smile on her face. "Or do you want more…"

The Partizan roared at her angrily, as he charged, his weapon in front of himself and ready to pierce, but Eon had planned for him to do so. She quickly back stepped, and began to hop away from him, as if skipping backwards, as he chased her blindly.

_And they called ME the blind one…_ Eon thought sarcastically, as she suddenly lunged forwards, catching the Partizan off guard, and slashing up at his chest.

The Partizan grunted, but his defence was high enough to leave only a small dent in his Hit Points, enough to ignore and slash out at Eon, who went flying across the Arena, and into the barrier hard.

"UGH!" She cried tiredly, as she fell to her knees. "D-dang it…" She murmured, seeing her health now in red. "I…I can't lose...!"

-

A small grin weaved itself onto Aqua's lips, as she watched the match from behind the seats of some overly enthusiastic players; now placing bets on the kid, and the team below. It wasn't just the players in front of her that were paying close attention to the match. The entire _Arena_ was starring down at Eon. Watching her every move. Her every attack, block, dodge…her every mistake. Even the foolish G.U. Members, little more than two rows above her, had failed to notice her presence this entire time! How pathetic…were they _really_ a threat to them?!

Aqua's eyes shined as she watched Eon narrowly dodge the final Shadow Warlock's spell, and then narrowly escape from the long spear of the Adept Rogue. To take on a challenge with little or no chance of success…? She had to admit, sounded just like herself. Maybe _that_ was what drew Guardians to their Masters. The will to take on _anything_, no matter how big or small.

The dog-girl had finally regained her will to fight, as it seemed, as she flung herself rashly at the Partizan again; narrowly dodging his drilling lance, and kicking up at his face, sending him flying into the barrier, just as he had sent her before. She quickly followed after him, moving in a zigzag-like pattern, to confuse the Adept Rogue that she _knew_ was following her. Just as she finally reached the Partizan, she suddenly jumped into the air, extending her wings to glide backwards, away from the two players as they collided; the Adept Rogue instantly killing his companion with a powerful tech attack, meant for her.

Eon easily landed on her feet, turning another fifty degrees to see the Warlock suddenly cast a large red circle towards her. He was too late! She easily avoided it, and threw herself into another series of zigzags until the spell wore off, just in time to block against the Adept Rogue once more.

The audiences' cheer filled the air at the spectacular performance, as Eon continued to hold her own against the two remaining opponents; now both running low on MP, as the large monitor indicated, behind the stadium.

Aqua's grin widened. Maybe this kid really _could_ make it through this match; though it was very unlikely that she would survive against any others afterwards…

-

Eon's panting increased as she looked from the Adept Rogue, to the Shadow Warlock, now readying a new spell for her. She grit her teeth hard in thought. She couldn't get the Warlock to cast a spell on the Rogue unless she charmed or confused him…which she couldn't do…and the Rogue was faster than she expected; always running into her blind spot at a moment's notice, and narrowly missing her. It seemed like he found her weakness…

Eon bit her lip hard in the real world, as she contemplated her next move. She _still_ needed healing, though the Healing Potions that she gained from Gaspard wouldn't do much help, ever _with_ her Boost Candle equipped, doubling item effects. She couldn't cast a spell, or the Adept Rogue would clobber her before the casting was finished, and use a powerful tech attack, as he did in the previous match…so what was left…? Run like a chicken with its head cut off…? No, that would just waste her time…not to mention make her look like a complete idiot to the thousands of eyes now starring at her.

Eon gulped hard, suddenly noticing just _how many_ people were looking at her. The crowd was cheering harder and louder than she had ever heard before, in _any_ of her matches with Team Shinigami. People were calling her name loudly, and others waving their arms wildly.

She smiled.

_There's no way that I'll lose to these guys._ She promised herself. _I came to win, and I WILL win_!

_That's the spirit, brat!_ Shiruba mused. _For actually gettin' into the game, I'll give ya a lil' pointer… See that Adept Rogue…? Just because he's fast, doesn't mean that he has any defence to speak of. One decent attack and he'll go down._

Eon blinked hard, for once _grateful_ to have Shiruba in her head, before flexing her claws once, and charging at the Rogue.

-

Haseo starred in disbelief.

_How_ had she lasted this long without any healing _or_ support spells?! It just wasn't possible to him! She was _half blind_! There was _no_ way that she was doing this alone!

He listened to the crowd cheer loudly around him, as they all rooted for Eon to finish this, with her sudden, rash charge towards the Adept Rogue.

Was she crazy?!

Her Hit Points were next to _nil_! Once false move, and she could end up terminated, just like the rest of the teams before her! He _knew_ this team! He'd seen them fight more than once before, as his team waited for their own matches to start. They would pick off the weak players, and _allow_ themselves to slowly be picked off like this, leaving _him_ to work as their final sweeper on stronger teams…not that he really believed Eon to be that strong…just lucky…

"She's pretty good, isn't she…?" Atoli asked, watching the match next to Haseo.

Haseo grunted in response, unwilling to say either 'yes' or 'no'. He just didn't get how she wasn't dead yet…was she hacked? Lucky? Maybe it was fluke…?

"Haseo…?" Atoli asked, making him slowly look up from the fight below, and to her. "Why are you frowning…? Do you really think that she's weak, just because of her eye…?"

Haseo hesitated to answer. He had no idea how Atoli would respond if he was truthful, or even if he lied.

"I don't know." He finally muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I just don't see how she lasted this long against this team…"

Atoli nodded her head slowly, before turning back towards fight. Her large burette tilted over her head in a way, that it shielded her eyes from Haseo's view, as the long cord dangled lifelessly before her.

"You know, you didn't think that I was weak, when I lost my hand to the AIDA." She stated quietly. "You were one of the few people that actually cared…it was people like Sakaki…that thought that I was the weak one…" She explained.

Haseo starred at her. He couldn't tell what she was feeling right now; her voice was almost emotionless.

"Atoli…I…" He murmured, unsure of what to say in a situation like this.

She quickly looked back to him, with a large smile across her face. Forced or no, Haseo couldn't tell as well. Sometimes, that's what sucked about being in 'The World'. You could never truly tell how others felt, with only the graphics of the game…

She allowed herself a small giggle; almost inaudible with the cheering of the crowd.

"I guess that's what makes me able to understand her situation." She explained, leaning back on her heels. "Just because she can't see, doesn't mean that she can't fight, or play in The World like anyone else. I think, that she might even see more in 'The World' than any of _us_ do."

Haseo starred at Atoli for a long moment, unsure of what she meant, before finally looking back to the fight wordlessly. For some reason, he felt that Atoli was right, even if he didn't understand the true meaning to her words.

-

It was now or never. Eon viciously flung herself at the Adept Rogue, who pulled out his pole arm to block against her claws, just in time.

"Heh…think you're pretty good, to go up against us _alone_, huh…?" He asked, their position locked tightly, as the Warlock behind them began to cast a strong water-based spell. "Don't think you've one yet kid…_no one_ has defeated us yet! So you _really_ think that we'll let a solo _brat_ beat us?!" He demanded.

Eon allowed herself a small, smug grin.

"I dunno…I doubt you'll _let_ me win…so I think that I'll just beat you fair and square." She said, before suddenly twisting her claws around the pole arm, and hopping up on top of it.

The Adept Rogue had no time to think, as the spell came flying their way. As soon as it found its target, water erupted from underneath Eon and himself, like a tsunami.

Eon allowed herself a small, triumphant giggle, as she jumped off of the spear, and towards safety, as the Rogue was swallowed up into the water; his body fading into nothingness as he vanished from the arena.

"Five down, one to go…" Eon murmured, turning to the final Shadow Warlock.

The Warlock seemed to shrink away from her, as she stood up to full height (still being about a foot shorter than the tall warlock) and turned to face him.

"Any last words…?" She asked, as the Warlock's legs began to shake violently underneath him.

Eon's eyes flashed gold, as the slit one final time.

"I thought not." She said, before suddenly dashing at him, and easily finishing him off with a long combo of clawing, kicking, and punching.

The Warlock fell to the ground lifelessly, as the audience seemed to become silent. Eon looked up around herself. Everyone stared at her in shock and awe, before suddenly erupting into the loudest cheers that Eon had ever heard in her life!

"And there you have it folks! The unstoppable Team 'Silencer' has just met its end to the reaping claws of Team Shinigami's soloist, Eon!" The announcer wailed into the mic, nearly falling over his desk as he leaned closer to get a good look at the short girl.

Eon's cheeks turned light shade of pink once more in the real world, as the crowd began to call her name over and over, before the screen finally came up, reporting how well she did, and asked her if she wished to continue.

After a long, contemplating moment, Eon finally selected 'no'. She had had enough excitement for one day…any more, and she was _sure_ she'd have a heart failure! Besides…she already just gained _twenty_ WP Points from this team alone!

-

-------------------------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth: AIDA Server-----------------------------------

-

As soon as Eon exited the Arena, she _knew_ that something was wrong. Maybe it was because there were no players present…or possibly since it was eerily silent, for the 'Warring City'.

Then again, there was the fact that the graphics were continuously flashing, and the city had inverted colours everywhere. The sky was a bright yellow, and the normally dark city was coloured in light, blinding shades of yellow, pink, and green.

Yep, that was probably the one…

Eon stepped slowly and carefully, before suddenly noticing that she was no longer playing the game, like before. She was _in_ it. There was no controller. No M2D…not even a 'log out' command.

She shivered hard, as she began to move her head around fifty degree angles, like in her previous fight. For some reason, fifty degrees worked best for her… Ninety took too long to perform, and anything below forty-five was too short, and didn't fill in enough space for such a wide blind spot.

She stepped carefully, and quickly, as she looked in every-which way. Her ears heard _nothing_. No static, with the strange, fizzing graphics. No cheers, like she would normally hear…not even the breathing of anyone nearby. She could _sense_ that someone was following her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and her tail remained stiff, no matter how much she tried to move it.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Who's there?!" She finally called, wheeling around, only to see no one, yet again.

Eon grinded her teeth together hard, as she slowly turned once more, before beginning to step down the now bluish steps. The hair on the back of her neck _still_ stood on end, and she could do nothing more than walk. This place was now so alien to her, she noticed, as she turned towards the back alleyway. The normal dark colours were what made this place seem more…realistic, and even now, being stuck in the game itself…it just didn't feel right.

She jumped down three steps at a time, before landing easily and gracefully at the bottom, before taking another cautious look around. She could see nothing, yet again, from the curve in the wall, all the way to where she was standing now.

Her ears flattened, and her eyes slit.

Somehow, she could feel that someone was waiting for her down here…though who, or how she knew, she didn't know. She slowly began towards her destination; stopping every few seconds, in case some sort of trap was a step a head, or someone would jump out…but nothing happened.

_Why am I so nervous?!_ She demanded, as she took a step closer to the wall, just to be a little more cautious. _This just isn't like me…!_

_Isn't it obvious, brat…?_ Shiruba suddenly questioned, shocking Eon. She had completely forgotten that the Guardian was with her… _It's because yer senses are adapting to the game. Do you REALLY think that you can beat AIDA, just with willpower alone?! No…even those bastards in G.U. have had their senses sharpened into the game…though they probably don't sense it at all, unlike you guys do._ She explained.

Eon nodded slowly, as she attempted to understand what the giant dog meant, before continuing on.

Every step made her stomach churn more and more uncomfortably, until it was almost unbearable. She could _tell_ that whoever it was that wanted to see her, was up ahead…and that they weren't good news to boot… She could feel her heart beat quickening, as she approached the back area of the Arena.

_Thump, thump, thump!_

It was so loud and hard…

She took another step.

_Thump thump, thump thump!_

She almost fell over in shock as she felt its beat nearly double.

_Okay, calm down_! She told herself mentally, ignoring her Guardian's loud snickers from within her head. _Whatever…WHOEVER it is, they can't be that bad!_ She told herself, as she took the final step, revealing the large plaza.

Her heartbeat nearly stopped, as she starred in disbelief at the one that had forced her into this creepy, reverse town.

"Hello." She said, her silver eyes half shut as she gave Eon a large, toothy grin, showing her pointed canines. She turned around to look a the dog girl before herself, pushing a red bang out of her eyes, as she pulled out a fan, and held it before herself, threateningly.

"I've been waiting."

-

* * *

-

This. Chapter. Took. FOREVER! _NRRRGGG!_ (Foams at the mouth) I finally gave up at trying to do this at home (With a million distractions) and just finished it at school. (With a slightly higher version of Word…) This took me _waaaaay_ longer than I would have hoped, considering how long I had off, for _thinking_ about it! Jeez, BAD ZERO YASHA! (Hits self with a frying pan)

Okay, now that that's over…what did you think…? I like cliff hangers…though it's shorter than I thought it would be… Eon sure showed them though, didn't she?! Who said that the blind were useless?! They need a lesson from Toph (Belongs to the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender) and Stray! (My blind archer! Isn't he cool…? (z))

I hope that the next chapter will be up in _half_ the time that it took me to write this chapter…so until then, have fun, be merry, and _review_! XD XD See ya!


	11. Choice

Okee dokee, Chapter 11 disclaimer:

.hack, .hack characters, and anything else .hack related do not belong to me.

Ginny, Aurum, Axel, Hikaru, Kuroha, 'The Guild Master' and Rei belong to Miffin. Don't take them, or else…

Eon, Koji, Denki, Shiruba, Aqua, Sijez and the plot all belong to me. If you want to use anything, _**ask**_

All right, I might as well explain why Yata acted uncharacteristically last chapter. The reason? He. Is. Human. Too. Though he doesn't act it 99.99999 of the time, he is _still_ a human; therefore, he has basic human emotions, like anger, sorrow, and happiness. (XP) So, getting mad every once in a while _will_ indeed happen to him as well. Blame it on stress or whatever…everyone will blow their top _once_ in a while. (Like how Axel will also be smart once in a blue moon as well.) He'll also show some signs of stress this chapter as well. Why? XP Because I hate his Macabre-guts, and I _BET_ that he feels loads of stress anyways…who _WOULDN'T_ with Axel?!

In this chapter, Libra appears. EvillyDisturbed helped me come up with the design…so all bow down to her creative-might! (Bows)

All righty! Thanks for being such a loyal reader (As well as extremely patient); if you're still reading this chapter! Now, to begin: Welcome to Chapter 11: Choice!

-

* * *

- 

**Chapter 11: Choice**

-

She was faster than Eon had anticipated, as the dog girl narrowly dodged yet another long swipe from Aqua's fans, only to be hit hard by a kick to the stomach; sending her flying into the back wall of the Arena.

Eon grunted painfully, as she glared up at the Macabre Dancer.

"Done already…?" Aqua asked mockingly, as she leisurely flicked her fans shut, then open once more. "I thought that you'd have at least a _little_ more fight in you…considering you just defeated the almighty 'Team Silencer'."

Eon could hear the vicious snarls of Shiruba from within her head, as she stood up slowly, leaning her weight against the wall behind her.

_Calm down and keep you head!_ She ordered angrily, as the dog slowly silenced herself. _We'll need to think this through, if we want to get out of this in one piece._

The dog girl tensed as she forced herself to stand on her own two feet, away from the supporting wall. Her good eye gazed around Aqua for any sort of advantage that she could take, but nothing came to mind, or into sight.

"You're not going to find any help here." Aqua assured, as she took a step closer, making Eon flinch back instinctively. "This place has flat ground, and there's nowhere to run that I can't follow. You might as well just stay here and fight, unless you want to end up comatose, like the rest of my prey." She explained, a sadistic smile plastered on her face.

Eon forced herself to grin, though she felt far from happy, or even thrilled for a 'challenge'.

"Fine, if you insist." She spat angrily, her eyes slitting as she glared at the Dancer before her. "But I won't be the one to end up in a coma after this!"

"You seem confident in that…" Aqua said, as water suddenly materialized around her twin fans. "Let's see if you're all talk, or worth my time…"

-

----------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku: Hades-----------------------

-

He sat in his chair, simply watching the impending panic of the dog girl as she faced Aqua head to head; now running from her continuous 'Aqueous' attacks. She weaved through the waterfalls of liquid, only to nearly slam head-first into the next pillar.

Her friends were not faring much better than herself…

His chair swiveled a bit as he looked upon a newer monitor; Axel and Hikaru were now being chased within another AIDA Server, with Denki and Koji in hot pursuit.

With a dark grin, he weaved his fingers together, and held his chin on them, as his elbows rested on top his desk in the real world. He had been planning this for a while now… It was always good to see that everything was running smoothly.

First, he would see if they were really a threat. It was true, that they obviously had no- where near the control of their Guardians, as _he _had on two within his control…but even so, complications had added themselves to that. Not only had they awakened later than he would have hoped, but the Guardians had also chosen mere _children_ as their hosts…something he did not enjoy the thought of at all…

Next, (if they got past this stage) he would infect them… They would be no good to him in his new world, if they would not obey him willingly! Only the AIDA Explicants within his grasp would be strong enough to completely engulf a Guardian and its Master…but it would take time. Even Aqua, who had been one of the first of his infected slaves, took weeks to completely move under his control…so how much longer could these children last?!

Time was not a matter either way. He could simply allow the AIDA to corrode their characters for months, so long as G.U. stayed within his control. Normal AIDA could last within a character for weeks, without them noticing…not to mention his newer and stronger Explicants; easily able to hide their presence from even the most prying of eyes…like those of the G.U. leader Yata. Simply spamming a few areas with minor AIDA Annas or Helens would be enough to distract their foolish operation from his plans…as well as making their work seem worth-while to CC Corp. He couldn't have the Corporation attempting to reset the Server before the time was right. Until _all_ of the AIDA within The World was under his control, it would create a catastrophe worldwide if that were to happen…the _forth_ Network Crisis…only this time, a mere _stand-off_ between nations would not be the result. Computers worldwide would stop working for humans, and strange, deformed AI's would be born within moments of the crisis' beginning, for the few that still functioned. People would be forced back into the dark ages; before lights, technology…and even knowledge would be lost if this were to happen.

He could not allow the AIDA to spread before he was finished with it…

A bright flash distracted him from his thoughts, as he looked back to the monitor with the Knight and Ninja. Both of them had started the summoning of their Guardians…now, the true test had begun…

-

------------------------Epsilon Roaring Crying Beast: AIDA Server----------------------

-

"Oh my…we do seem to be in quite a pickle!" Denki stated cheerfully, as he smiled up at Ginryuu, now towering over him. She reeled back on her hind legs, before quickly shooting her head down towards him, jaws agape. The Blade Partizen's grin grew a tiny bit, as he gracefully hopped out of the way, and onto a large boulder, before quickly jumping off as she tried to smash him with her tail.

"Damn pest! Stop moving!" The silver dragon ordered, as Aurum slowly stomped up behind her.

"Please, calm down, Ginryuu…" He pleaded, only to meet her angry, green gaze. With a sigh, the golden dragon gave up on his attempt to calm the temperamental beast, and turned his attention down to Koji, who was quickly shuffling through his deck of cards. The Trump Joker finished as soon as his eyes met the dragon's, and whipped out three blue cards.

"Take this, beastie!" He yelled, as he threw them at Aurum.

On impact, the cards exploded into huge glaciers of ice and crystals, gluing the dragon's feet to the ground. Aurum slowly looked down at his legs, then to the Trump Joker, before ripping his left leg out of the mess of ice, and attempting to stomp on him. With a shocked yelp, Koji barely managed to hop out of Aurum's way, as he pulled out another blue card, and threw it at his chest. Aurum gave an uncomfortable grunt, as he used his large claw to wipe off, what would seem like a bit of frost to a beast of his size. He then slammed his enormous fore-claws into the ground, creating a large shockwave, and sending Koji flying.

"U-ugh!" Koji cried out, hitting one of the few hills littered throughout the area. He slowly forced himself to stand, pulling out another deck of cards from his trench coat's pocket as he did so. "I won't go down that easily…" He promised, eyeing Denki, who was calmly jumping out of the now rampaging silver dragon's way. He took a deep breath, quickly shuffling the deck without ever looking at it, and stared up at the dragon, then down at his Knight-like companion.

_Gotta go for the blonde…_ He thought, as his hands stopped moving around the deck, and drew three black cards; never lifting his eyes from his opponents. _He's going to be weaker than the dragon…and we don't need to hold back…_

Koji threw the three cards at Hikaru with all of his might; quickly fleeing behind the hill as soon as they left his hand. The knight cocked an eyebrow in confusion, before being slammed back by the force of the first card, only to watch a black aura surround his body. The two other cards quickly followed after the first, sending Hikaru flying halfway across the field with their might, and slamming him onto his back.

"Hikaru!" Aurum called, concerned, only to see the knight shakily stand up.

"Hikki!" Axel yelled, looking down at him from Ginny's shoulder. "Are you okay?!" He demanded.

"Yes…" Hikaru answered, though tired and a little strained. He stood up to his full height, and opened his blue eyes to half-glare at Koji. He slowly reached down to the ground of the AIDA Server, and forced his hand into the earth. After moment of complete silence, he pulled out a large, pointed lance, and held it ready at his side.

"Let us finish this…" He murmured, a small tinge of anger in his voice, as he quickly slammed the point to the ground, sending a large stream of stalagmites towards the hill Koji was now hiding behind. It shattered, as if it were nothing more than glass, as Koji narrowly managed to jump onto the tip of one of the stalagmites, and catapult himself up, and over the attack.

The Trump Joker glared at the Knight. He knew that this wasn't going as expected. Though they had these…Guardians, or whatever they were called for such a short time, they'd already passed preliminary training stages…something that took Aqua a few months to get used to.

"Denki! Let's finish them now!" He yelled, as he jammed his two decks into his pockets, and raced towards another hill, about thirty meters away from his current position.

Denki made no attempt to respond, and only jumped away from Ginryuu gracefully once more, before hopping up, onto her claw, and onto her snout. With a polite, yet mocking bow, he did a back flip off of it, and landed on the ground with no trouble at all; quickly spinning himself around, and racing towards the hill as Koji did so.

Ginryuu roared angrily, as they both reached the hill within seconds of each other; quickly holding up the palm of their right hand to the other. They touched their palms together, and pushed lightly; a sudden purple-black aura surrounding their PC bodies. The aura began to grow faster and faster around them, as Ginryuu attempted to smash them to bits with her tail, only to be shot back by the force of thousands of AIDA bubbles, now protecting their masters. The bubbles then began to form around the two of them, and started to create a noticeable shape. They moved from side to side, as if trying to find their own personal spot, before suddenly fixating themselves into one place, as more AIDA shot towards them and connected; like a giant, black jigsaw puzzle.

The purple aura began to glow a brighter, lighter shade as more of the bubbles added themselves onto the mess; now at a way faster rate than before.

Koji couldn't help but grin in satisfaction. The two of them were now staring at their transformation helplessly…and now _he_ would show their worth to Hades! His Guild Master had explained to him beforehand, that the Guardians, Ginryuu: The Tempest, and Aurum: The Protector, were the closest bonded Guardians, only second to possibly that of Light and Darkness. Now was time to see if that was true…

If they could survive the awesome power of their Libra, then he would be correct…

-

-----------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth: AIDA Server---------------------

-

Eon dodged frantically as Aqua continuously blasted more and more Aqueous spells at her; never needing to worry about a foolish 'Tech Bar' to fill within this Server, as she noticed.

The dog girl bit her teeth together hard, as she finally shot herself around the curve in the wall; trying to take as many seconds of a breather that the crazed Dancer would allow her to have. She could understand now, why she was forced to fight within this Server. Normal 'game rules' did not apply here. There was no 'Tech Bar', for one thing. Aqua could blast her with as many spells as she liked…so long as her MP stayed up…at least _that_ remained unchanged. She also noticed that the spells were way more powerful than normal…possibly because the game forced them to only take off a minimum, fixed rate within the system…or it could be her 'fire' attribute that she gained from holding Shiruba within herself…

Eon slowly looked around the corner, only to withdraw her head instantly, as Aqua shot a beam of ice at her, nearly taking her head off. Small fragments of ice glittered off of the stream, and plastered themselves to her cheeks and nose, instantly making her shiver from both the cold and fear.

_D-dang it…!_ She thought angrily, ducking down, and pushing her leg out sideways; though not out far enough for Aqua to target it. _This is getting ridiculous!_

_You've got that right, squirt._ Shiruba murmured coldly. _She's way outta your league…_

Eon couldn't help but twist her face into something between a pout and frown as she wiped frost from it.

_So you're telling me that your bet is on the crazed water-chick winning?!_ She demanded, slowly inching back on the balls of her feet.

_I did not say that._ Shiruba said calmly. _I was only saying that she is superior to you in every aspect._

_Yeah…SURE sounds like your bet's on her…_ Eon thought, as she moved back a tiny bit more. _But how can I help that?!_ She demanded.

_You can't._ Shiruba explained simply. _There are some enemies that you must face and defeat…and others that you must flee, until the time is right. When that time comes, then it is only fate that decides the winner._

"You sound so corny right now…" Eon muttered coldly, as she hunched her head closer to her shoulders. "But if what you're saying is true…then _how_ could I 'flee', as you like to call it…?"

Shiruba was silent, as if in thought for a long, almost unbearable minute before answering.

_Whether in a regular Server or not, you are still within The World_ She explained. _Now, our only chance is to look for an exit… However unlikely it is to find it, it is still here…we need only search._

Eon slowly nodded her head, before her ears perked up. Aqua had been silent for quite some time now… She couldn't help but move her head around the corner slowly; her heart beating faster, and harder than normal.

She wasn't there…

Eon could hear her heart beat even louder in her ears, as she forced herself up from her crouching position, and tucked her head closer to her shoulders defensively. How did she get past?! Didn't the back alleyway lead to a dead end…? So where could she have _possibly_ gone?!

…wait…stupid question…

Eon grit her teeth together hard, as her ears perked; listening for breathing, footsteps, or the next spell to come flying her way. Obviously Aqua could not only control this area, but change it to her will as well…

Lovely…

-

----------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore---------------------

-

Yata paced silently to and fro. His hands were clamped behind his back hard, and his eyebrows furrowed.

It had already been ten minutes since the end of the 'Team Silencer' match, and Eon had yet to emerge from the Arena. Even with a lagging PC, it would take little more than a minute to log out, and appear in front of the Warp Panel…nonetheless, he had lost all contact with both Axel and Hikaru since that time as well…

Something wasn't right.

He unconsciously took his thumb in the real world, and bit onto it in thought; a bad habit that he had had since before even playing 'The World'.

The fact that they were_ all _missing, was what bothered him the most. The only possible explanation, to his standards, was that they had either all logged out, or rebooted from The World for some reason…_or_ they had been transported to an AIDA Server… Could Team Crystal Seraphim have already made their move? No…if that was so, then that would mean that they had the ability to create AIDA Servers! That was preposterous!...but then again, Pi's report of 'Kuroha' and 'Hunter' of Hades, showing signs of AIDA Explicants made things all the more complicated…

He nibbled on his thumb a little bit harder; his eyes glazed to the screen, and his ears blocking out all other sounds, but that of the light buzzing from the monitors before him.

If 'Hades' could truly create AIDA Servers…then the question was not 'did they begin', or 'where did they go'…it was _how_ did they do it? It would take _gargantuan_ amounts of AIDA to create a Server…nonetheless at least _two_ Servers, for the different areas that the three had vanished to.

Unless they had some sort of 'AIDA spawning' machine, or some sort of device, capable of creating AIDA Servers with select amounts of AIDA, then it was impossible…but then again, was the very thought of such things existing even reasonable as well…?

Yata took his thumb from his mouth, and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. Though he could not help but wonder how any of this was at all possible, he knew that this was not the time to be dwelling on it. He slowly removed his hand from his face, and placed both of them over the sphere in front of himself. He slowly moved them, making little transparent screens appear randomly all over the monitor.

His eyes narrowed a bit, as he looked into the area that the two Guardian Masters, Axel and Hikaru, had vanished within. He knew that Eon was most likely experiencing as much difficulty, if not more, wherever she was now…but saving _two_ Guardian Masters to one was in his top priority…not to mention, The World's as well…

-

------------------------Epsilon Roaring Crying Beast: AIDA Server----------------------

-

It was…different, to say the least…

Bubbles of AIDA floated between a perch for the dish-like scales lazily; the plates hovering with nothing attached. Under them were long, metal chains dangled lifelessly; strange, elaborate patterns on the end of each chain, and slowly flashing from pure black to crimson. Large, round pale-teal counter-weights slowly hovered above the dishes in a clockwise pattern, touching down every so often, and making the scales instantly shift from one side, to the other. The colour of the dishes was dark silver, with even darker, blood-coloured engravings, of an unknown language. The perch was a countering bright gold, with darker shades at the sides; also holding the strange writing.

Denki slowly floated leisurely around the dishes of Libra, hands in his overly large under-jacket sleeves. His smile never faded, as the life-like surroundings suddenly cracked and vanished, and a twilight-like cyberspace suddenly appeared around them; swallowing all that was once 'living'. Axel and Hikaru had to move quickly, to force themselves off of the disappearing ground, and into the air, where they tilted and turned uncoordinatedly. This_ was_ their first time in a real Cyber battle after all…

"Heh, amateurs…" Koji muttered coldly, as he floated down, and took his place on the perch. With the sound of heavy flapping, a large, black raven appeared behind him, and took its place along side him; it's large, taloned feet clutching onto the bar at his sides, and its huge body hovering over him. The eyes of the ferocious-looking avian were glowing crimson and slit; its black feathers making them stand out exponentially. Around it, black flames slowly crackled and burned, with small AIDA bubbles spewing forth from the blaze. The tail of the bird wasn't very friendly-looking either. The extra-long feathers were razor-sharp…and slowly twisting around, like the tentacles of a Malboro.

With an earsplitting shriek, the raven lifted off of the bar once more, and flapped its wings heavily; making small bubbles of AIDA spew in every which way. The bird flapped even harder, raising its altitude a bit, before forcing itself at the two Guardian Masters in question. The large feathers on its tail quickly shot around its giant body, as the bird approached its prey; razor sharp tips aiming to pierce their PC bodies to nothingness, as it had done so to too many others before.

Axel was the first to react, in the form of a surprised yelp, before he grabbed onto Ginryuu's fore-claw hard to balance himself in the air, and pulling out his twin daggers. With a short yell, he sent a lightning-like spell towards the oncoming skewers, only to watch them have no effect as the bird closed in fast.

"Damn it!" Axel swore angrily, as yanked himself higher into the air with the help of Ginny's claw. "Do something already!"

Ginryuu growled viciously at the order.

"You didn't need to tell _me_ that!" She bellowed, before banking her entire body to the left hard, and shooting her right claw towards the Raven quickly.

The attack hit its mark seconds before the bird could reach the four in question, and it retreated soundly; the injured wing almost instantly regenerating with the help of the AIDA-flames.

Axel grit his teeth together hard, as he glared at the two of them. Koji was grinning smugly. He must have known that this…_thing_, could regenerate faster than any of the AIDA Explicants that he'd seen so far…not to mention that there was still the fact of the perch, (most likely controlled by Denki) which had yet to make a move at all.

The knight could hear his companion swallow hard. He knew that Axel only acted like an idiot for appearance's sake…the fact that he was serious now meant that this would be a problem for them both.

He slowly reached his lance-arm back once more; eyes slightly open to see what was happening around him.

He withdrew his hand quickly.

It was no good. Not only did he feel more than a little nauseous from their aerial positions, but there was absolutely no 'earth' left in the entire area; the element that both he and Aurum thrived upon. He couldn't use any earth-based spells or tech without extreme difficulty in here…and the white 'earth' below them, was nothing more than mere pixels in this place…

Hikaru leaned over somewhat, as he attempted to hold down his supper. He was beginning to wonder why _he_ of all people was chosen for _this _specific job… He for one, got motion sickness, height sickness, sea sickness, air sickness…any sort of sickness in the book really. How in _The_ _World_ could he have been chosen as a Guardian Master?! He had a slow character to boot…even if he _was_ the one that made it slow…

"Calm down." Aurum advised to them soothingly, as he slowly allowed his gargantuan head to hover over them. "This will be a hard battle…but I am sure that it is something that you two can overcome, if you put everything you have into it."

"Yeah." Ginryuu said with a cruel snort. "You'd better too, unless you wanna end up in a coma, you useless buffoons."

Axel made a small, pouty face, before turning his attention back to the giant Raven and its perch-like companion. He couldn't let Ginny get under his skin. Not right here, and not right now. Too much was on the line…he didn't want to spend the next ten years of his life in a coma!

Hikaru slowly tilted himself forward once again; a blue eye open to see his opposition. Unlike when he was on the ground in The World, he couldn't judge distances with his M2D, since it no longer existed. Normally, he'd be able to sense vibrations in the ground as well, (as little as they were in the game) to direct his attacks as mostly counter-strikes or spells. His head lowered once more, as he felt nauseous again, but he forced it back up to watch them carefully. Aurum was right. If he wasn't careful, they'd kill him in no time flat.

-

----------------------The Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore--------------------

-

They were quick to respond to his 'Short Mail', Yata acknowledged as he turned to face the Epitaph Users. His face, like always, was hard and serious, but his heart in the real world was pounding as fast as a rabbit's. He couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking now. Of him…of his decision…and of his state as their leader…?

_Enough of those foolish thoughts!_ Yata told himself. _There are more important things to think of right now!_

He silently took a deep breath to calm himself down, before taking a step towards the six subordinates.

"Thank you for all coming on such short notice." He said calmly (which was not easy). "Now, we can get to business…"

The Epitaph Users watched him quietly, waiting, and listening like they had always done for him before. Their expressions were serious, and hard. They could tell something was amiss…most likely because Axel had yet to make a foolish comment, or Eon was not there to complain about their 'summon'…not that she was allowed into G.U. any longer…

"I can assume that you have all noticed the missing presence of our Guardian Masters, Axel, and Hikaru." Yata said calmly, his eyes slowly moving from one Epitaph User to the next. They never move an inch, or fidgeted. They only watched, and waited. With a small sigh of relief, Yata continued. "I have reason to believe that not only these two Guardian Masters, but Guardian Master Eon as well, have been transported into AIDA Servers to the will of Team Crystal Seraphim."

The faces of the Epitaph Users hardened, and some, including Haseo, narrowed their eyes slightly in thought. Kuhn had clenched his hands into fists, and was glaring at the ground.

"How'd they do this without us noticing?!" The Steam Gunner demanded. He could _tell_ that something was wrong, when Eon didn't appear at the Warp Panel after her fight. He was going to congratulate her there…but no one had appeared for him _to_ congratulate.

Yata shook his head slowly, as he crossed his arms comfortably before him.

"I am not sure _how_ they managed to pull this off…" He admitted, his eyes dark under his tinted glasses. "But either way, there is a high possibility to that they are currently fighting against either AIDA Explicants, or Crystal Seraphim members themselves." He explained.

Haseo's eyes flashed dangerously. Is that how these guys liked to play?! Picking them off one by one?! He grit his teeth hard together, before tightening his hand into a fist.

"What can we do, Yata?" The Adept Rogue asked sternly. "What can we do to help them?"

Yata made no effort to explain anything to them, and turned to face his monitors. His words would be no good to their unsophisticated minds…only Pi of the six of them would understand what he was trying to say. Reaching out a hand, he allowed it to hover over the sphere for the hundredth time that day (it seemed to him), as he opened up a file that he had just stored minutes before their arrival.

A large monitor appeared with a bright blue glow, hovering before all of the rest. On the monitor, was the coordinates for an area; Area Epsilon, Roaring, Crying, Beast. It was a large field-type area, with a few hills littered around. The grass, like normal, was a pale green, and the sky a usual blue. Around the area was a deep blue ocean, and a few Chim Trees could be spotted around…the only difference for this area, was that there was no Alters, or a Temple.

The Epitaph Users narrowed their eyes when they noticed the missing building. There were no areas that missed temples. Even _quests_ had Temples! (Most, at least…)

Yata moved the monitor's view around a tiny bit, and made it magnify to one spot in particular; between a Chim Tree and a large hill.

"There," he said, "is where you must go, to enter the AIDA Server by my calculations. In there, the Players Axel and Hikaru are most likely facing a Crystal Seraphim member…though who, I am not sure. They never appeared in the normal area at any time, therefore, are not in the records."

Haseo nodded understandingly, as did the rest of them.

"And the brat then…?" Saku asked coldly. "Where's _she_ then, baldy?"

Yata ignored her comment, but opened up another file, making a monitor just as large, appear before the first. He slowly moved the sphere in degrees, before zeroing into one spot, like before.

"I…believe that this will lead into the Lumina Cloth AIDA Server…" He said slowly, as he motioned a small a point, just next to the Black Market NPC. "But…I am less certain than the other area. The number of PC Bodies that constantly teleport in and out of the area makes detecting disturbances more difficult." He explained.

"Got it." Kuhn said with a small grin. "So all we gotta do is go in, beat up the baddy, and come out, right…?" He asked.

Yata was astounded by how Kuhn could be so blunt about a complicated operation such as this…it must have been cockiness from holding the Propagation within him…

"In a small sense, yes…" Yata agreed grudgingly. "But we have no way of telling who or what is waiting within the area." He explained. "Therefore, we will go to each Server in groups. Haseo, you will go with Kuhn, Sakubo and Pi to Epsilon, Roaring Crying Beast, to rescue Axel and Hikaru. I will go with Endrance and Atoli to Lumina Cloth, to find the AIDA Server within it, and rescue Eon…any questions?"

The silence told Yata that all was explained. Without a second to spare, he entered Atoli and Endrance into his party, and bid Haseo's party off. Haseo would be going solo, compared to the other three, who were safely in a party…something he did not entirely approve of…but The World gave them the unfortunate handicap of only holding three possible party members at one time…Haseo was the best for the job.

"All right, let's go." He ordered urgently, before racing out the door after them; Atoli and Endrance in hot pursuit. There was no time to spare.

-

----------------------------------Lumina Cloth: AIDA Server--------------------------------

-

Aqua walked slowly along the pathway of the back alleyway. Her eyes flashed from one direction to the other…but no dog girl in sight. She allowed herself a small grin, as her silver eyes glowed with interest. She had transformed the area to allow her around it like a circle…though it seemed that the kid had caught on in time, and somehow hid herself…

Aqua's hand tightened around her fans, as she continued to look around. She knew that the kid couldn't have left the area. She'd have felt it…so it was only a matter of time now before she found her or forced her to come out.

The Macabre Dancer lifted her fans above her head, before they were suddenly engulfed in cold liquid.

"Aqueous Beta!" She yelled, as her eyes slit dangerously, and she threw her arms down, sending long streams of water flying around the area. They hit everything before her, but nothing stirred.

Aqua's grin slowly vanished. She was sure that the kid couldn't have gone far…so where was she? Normally that'd have hit the mark, or at least make someone come out of hiding…especially a little brat with a 'fire' attribute…

Her eyes flashed, as she looked around behind her, where the attack had not gone. Could she have passed her somehow…? No, that wasn't possible…or was it…? Just how or _where_ was this kid hiding…?

-

Eon watched Aqua with wide eyes, as she looked straight at her, then past her for the third time. She slowly, ever so slowly, hugged onto her knees tightly. She couldn't believe that Aqua had just barely missed her with the water attack. Sure, Aqua couldn't _see_ her right now…and the fact that _she_ could see _her_ right now, was even more unnerving…but _still_. The fact that Aqua had the ability to make strange Servers like this, made her seem like she could see through walls, or could melt people's heads off with a glare…not saying that she _couldn't_, for all she knew right now…

The dog girl slowly moved her leg a bit, as it began to cramp up from her sitting position, only to pause instantly as Aqua looked at, and past her yet again. With a silent sigh of relief, she hunched her head into her knees tightly, and flattened her ears against her head, as if it would make a huge difference in how _much_ Aqua could see.

She was glad now that her wings had more than two uses to them, as she had just found out. Not only could she glide for short distances, or use them in attacks, but they were also a good hiding place, as proved by Aqua; looking past her one more time. The wings were wrapped tightly around her body; the silver of the wings acting like a mirror in areas of high-light frequencies, like the bright yellows and blues of this Server. Sure, they were _nowhere_ near as good as an actual mirror, or a chameleon, but it was all that she had. Best make use of them. She knew that if Aqua were to look closely enough, she'd see the curves of light around her…but it was all that she could do right now! Shiruba was right, she _wasn't_ anywhere near her level. She'd be comatose within moments, if she faced her head to head, the way that she was right now.

Eon bit onto her lip lightly, as Aqua slowly turned her back to the girl, and headed towards the plaza. She was waiting right now. That was _all_ that she could do. Wait, and hope that Shiruba had found that exit that she was talking about earlier. The dog girl could sense that Aqua was getting agitated with this game of hide and seek. There wasn't much time left, and she knew it. If Aqua decided to summon Sora…it'd be all over for her…

-

----------------------- Epsilon Roaring Crying Beast: AIDA Server---------------------

-

Koji nibbled on his toothpick lightly, as his purple eyes surveyed everything below him. He was floating a good distance away from his feathered friend; allowing it to have a good time with its newest prey. He stuck his hands into his pockets, and leaned back into the air, as if in a giant bean bag chair. Things were looking up for them. Denki wasn't even bothering to fight yet! Was this _truly_ all that these 'Guardian _Masters_' had to them? Pathetic!

His teeth bit into his toothpick a tiny bit harder as the Raven was shot back by Ginryuu's long, plated tail. The bird was sure taking a pounding today, that was for sure…but its regenerating abilities were just for that purpose. It seemed, to him at least, that the little specks that were the 'Masters' below him, had yet to figure out that there was only one way to get rid of a foe like that. Beat it up faster than it could reform.

A small smile tugged at his lips, as he moved his toothpick to the other side of his mouth, and bit onto it with his canine teeth. At this rate, both he _and_ Denki wouldn't need to do anything at all in this fight. They could leave it completely to Libra. As Aqua would say, 'why dirty you hands when someone else can do it for you?'

-

By now, Axel could proudly say that he was now a master of 'floating around cyberspace'…even if it were only from being forced to from the non-stop attacks from the crazed bird-demon AIDA. He couldn't throw in a decent hit (saying that it would _do_ anything), since the bird was too fast…and even if he _did_ get a chance to make a move, the stupid perch-like thing behind it would move before it and defend it…then shoot another spell _right_ back at him, _and_ Hikaru…

This wasn't going very well…

"What're you _doing_, Bean-sprout?!" Ginryuu demanded dangerously, as she swiped her silver claws at the Raven, who easily avoided them and retreated alongside the perch-like AIDA. "Stop daydreaming, and _do_ something!" She ordered.

"I _would_ if I _could_!" He snapped back at the dragon, before floating a little bit higher, so he was next to Hikaru.

The poor Knight was paler than ever, but he was hanging in there; batting away the Raven with his huge lance whenever Ginny or Aurum weren't able to protect them from incoming attacks.

He slowly looked at Axel with the corner of his eye, but didn't turn, or risk vomiting.

"How much longer can we last…?" He asked tiredly, as the Raven slowly landed on top of the perch again; its black AIDA-flames burning the gold below it, only to be suddenly regenerated with masses of black AIDA bubbles.

Axel narrowed his eyes sadly. Hikaru, like himself, was normally an enthusiastic, 'look-at-the-bright-side' sorta guy…for him to ask a question like this, meant that they seriously _were_ in trouble.

He clenched his teeth together hard, and shut his green eyes tightly, before inwardly listing off every swear that he knew. This wasn't what he was hoping would happen! All of their training, for however short it was, was for _nothing_ in here! Sure, they could _summon_ Ginny and Aurum…but what _good_ were they, if they couldn't Crack their Data! Though Ginny would never admit it, she was doing all that she could just to protect Axel and Hikaru from attacks. They had no time to counter, and it was all their fault!

Axel slowly looked back up to the AIDA before him, before crossing his Twin Daggers into a guard-like position in front of himself.

"Ginny." He said slowly, as he forced himself to fly further forward.

"What?!" The enraged dragon demanded.

"If we hold our own, even for a few minutes, can you and Aurum Data Crack these guys…?" He asked, though he felt as though his stomach just dropped off of Mt. Everest.

This caught Ginryuu's attention, as she slowly swung her large, silver head towards the Twin Blade, and starred at him coldly with her slit, green eyes.

"Are you trying to tell me, that you, a _human_, can hold off their AIDA alone, without our help, as we try to Crack their Data?" She asked slowly, and in a dangerous tone. "Because if you are, then let me explain one thing to you, _Sparky_. An AIDA versus a human_ never_ turns out well. With one attack, that bird over there will pierce your body, and you'll be nothing more than a scattered consciousness in the real world. Stuck in a coma for the rest of your life…only years if you're lucky. You really think that we're guarding you because we're being friendly? _HAH!_ Don't make me laugh, Sparky. A Guardian _and_ its Master are what it takes to Crack Data for an _Evolved _Explicant. It can't be one or the other. That shrimpy kid-friend of yours was just lucky when she pulled it off…at least she didn't have Explicants that united with something when she did it. Once an Explicant joins with a Human, they become a collective thought, and it learns as fast as they do. It learns to think for its own, and learns how to operate with its new…'Master', shall we say…? They evolve, Sparky. They become stronger, and smarter than ever. Explicants know how to think, unlike normal AIDA…and just by combining with someone…some_thing_, they can boost their power over one hundred fold just by creating a _strategy_. Once an Explicant evolves _this_ far, it's impossible for either you _or_ me to Data Crack it alone."

Axel's stomach now dropped down into the Meridian's Trench. He didn't know that. He knew that it was a dangerous thing to mess with AIDA…but not that they 'evolved'. To just join with someone, then suddenly gain a consciousness, _and_ become stronger…? This was something that he never stopped to think about…not that he really _wanted_ to think of such a depressing thought. If all of Team Crystal Seraphim had an Explicant…wouldn't that make their team unstoppable? Six Explicants; six consciousnesses along with their own, to fight at their will, and able to send all that they touch into a coma…it was really a good plan, he had to say…

"Then what do we do to Crack Data…?" Hikaru asked lightly, through a gasp. He had managed to turn himself to face Ginryuu; Aurum now at Axel's side, and behind Hikaru.

Ginny snorted angrily, before whipping her long tail, and slamming it into the Raven's face once more, sending the bird retreating yet again. Just as the avian was about to land, the perch suddenly moved forwards and tilted to the left, ever so slightly. Within a moment, black claws were reaching up from under Ginryuu, and trying to drag her down, into the twilit abyss below them. She roared in fury, as she clawed and scraped at the ghostly hands, but it was Aurum who managed to yank her away from their grip, to her displeasure.

"I could have done that myself1" She hissed angrily, as she hunched forwards, and let her long wings open up to their full extent; about fifteen feet each.

Axel rubbed his arm, where the strange hands had grabbed Ginny's forearm. They had left a black, smoking spot, and strange, red-purple liquid slowly dribbled out (Most likely blood). The skin on his own arm was worn away, and it hurt like a million mosquitoes trying to bite there at the same time.

_Damn it!_ He thought, as he held onto it tightly, as if it would stop the pain. _Stupid AIDA!_

"I believe," Aurum started, "that the best way to go about this, is—" Both his head, and Ginny's shot up at the same time, as they looked at seemingly nothing. The AIDA also seemed to notice the strange anomaly that the dragons had noticed, as the Raven started to flap frantically, and screech louder than normal. The perch began to tilt from side to side faster than before, and electricity began to surround itself, as well as the Raven (though it seemed not to notice).

Koji's toothpick fell out of his mouth.

-

-----------------------------The Frozen Paradise: Saal Haku: Hades------------------------

-

He wasn't pleased. In fact, he was _furious!_ Clenching his teeth together hard, so he wouldn't list off his overtly large vocabulary of swears, he slammed his hands onto his desk in the real world hard.

How could G.U. have found them _already_?! It had been little more than twelve and a half minutes in the real world…and yet, that foolish organization had managed to put together a plan and was already trying to interfere!

"No!" Yet again, he slammed his hands onto the desk, but did not feel the pain this time. They were numb. He didn't know _what_ to expect if they managed to get in…and he couldn't keep them out for much longer either way. He was using all of _its_ power already…or at least, all that he knew _how_ to use. "Damn it…" He murmured coldly, as he glared at the screen with a golden eye, the other hidden under thick, navy bangs.

The distortion suddenly became noticeable on his screen, and he started to grind his teeth together angrily. The swirling of navies, purples and whites made him feel sick with wonder and anticipation. Surely, even if Koji and Denki were _able_ to receive backup, it wouldn't help. He knew that there were currently four G.U. members on their way through this hellish portal…the 'Terror of Death' being one of them…

He cursed one more time under his breath, before pulling a keyboard forward. This was his last chance. If he didn't take _this_, he'd lose the AIDA Explicant of Libra…as well as two supporters if they were Data Drained.

'Change of plans', he wrote quickly; never taking his eyes off of the screen before him. 'They must make their choice, and now.'

-

----------------------- Epsilon Roaring Crying Beast: AIDA Server---------------------

-

Koji could understand his message just as clearly as Denki could, as they got up from their lazed positions in haste. A 'change of plans', and their 'choice', could only mean one thing. The cavalry was coming faster than expected.

"Damn…" Koji murmured, as he pulled another toothpick from his pocket, and placed it between his lips.

"Let's go." Denki said calmly, as he opened a forest green eye to look at their opponents. "We'd best not keep him, or them, waiting."

Koji nodded understandingly, as both of them gracefully hovered towards the two Guardian Masters, as if skaters on ice. The two of them stopped only once; to call their enraged AIDA-companions to stop, and allow them to tail behind themselves slowly.

"We propose a stalemate!" Denki called softly, as both he and Koji stopped a good distance away from the Guardian Masters and their Guardians; just to make sure they didn't decide to hold a grudge against them…

Axel cocked an eyebrow in confusion, and couldn't help but allow his jaw to drop by the Blade Partizan's sudden offer. After they had just beaten both themselves _and_ their Guardians to a pulp for so long, why would they even _consider_ calling a truce? Was it that weird, inter-dimensional-portal-of-doom slowly forming off a ways from them? If so…what was coming out of it that worried them?

He turned to look at Hikaru slightly, who had also furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and worry.

"Should we trust 'em, Hikki?" Axel asked his companion softly, only to hear Ginny scoff angrily.

"Why should we trust the bastards?!" She demanded, fuming as steam slowly floated up from her snout. She bared her teeth at them dangerously, but neither of them flinched as any other would do to see her in her angered state. They _knew_ that she couldn't beat them…at least, not this way…

She grunted angrily, seeing their less-than-hoped for reactions, and shook her head, as if that never happened.

"What do you say, dude?" Koji asked, as he used his index finger to push the toothpick up, lifting his upper lip a little. "Wanna call it truce, or be sent into a coma, here and now?" He asked urgently.

Axel let out an uneasy grunt, as if thinking, but it was Hikaru who answered for him.

"We will be at truce, then." He said formally, in his usual slow way; though with more emotion than normal.

Koji's and Denki's grin told the two of them that they had made a mistake, as, one at a time, they waved their hand, and their AIDA Beasts slowly rippled and vanished into nothing more than black bubbles, slowly dispersing around the area. They leisurely floated over to the two of them, minding to stay far enough away from Ginny, and a ways off from Aurum as they did so. It was then that Koji reached into his trench coat pocket, and produced a small, clear, egg-like thing, with the shades of black, violet, and pink within it. Denki produced a similar ostrich-egg sized glob from within his overly-large, feudal-style jacket. They held them up for the two of them to see, before both Ginryuu and Aurum cried in outrage at the sight of the fowl eggs.

"How _dare_ you offer such things to them?!" Aurum's voice boomed, and echoed loudly around the entire area, as his large, golden head swung low to see the two Crystal Seraphim members. "Have you no idea what they are?!" He demanded.

"You got that right, you old fart!" Ginryuu yelled, as more steam rose from the slits on her snout. "You think we'll allow you foolish humans to do such a thing?!" She demanded.

Denki shrugged, before placing the egg back into his jacket as if he had never showed it to them in the first place. He calmly hovered for a moment more, before opening a green eye to look at the two Guardian Masters.

"Tell me…do you know what those were…?" He asked, as Koji juggled his, before placing it into his overly large pocket again.

Axel shook his head slowly, and Hikaru said a simple, yet polite 'no'.

Denki nodded, before shutting his eye, and opening the other to look up at the two Guardians behind them.

"I believe that they could explain…but not without ruining our name and ideals." He explained easily.

Koji thrust his hands into his pockets, and leaned back again.

"Denki's right. Let us explain it to you…" He murmured lowly; a small grin on his face. "But, before we do that, you need to make your choice."

Axel and Hikaru looked at each other, confused for a moment, before turned back to the two AIDA Masters.

"What 'choice'?" Axel asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Isn't it obvious…?" Koji asked, as he forced his arms over his head, and held them together for a long moment, stretching.

"No." Axel said bluntly, making the Trump Joker chuckle lightly.

"There is only one thing that we wish of you, if we are to tell you our plans, and our ideals." He stated coolly, watching the black bubbles of AIDA move past themselves, and the Guardians and their Masters. It snaked along the ground easily, like a thick black mist, cloaking the pure-white hexagonal tiles, and blocking out the twilight surroundings for a distance.

"We want you to choose," he said lowly, and seriously, watching them with both green eyes. "Choose. Which side you will fight on?"

-

-

Thank _GOD_ that's done. (Falls off of chair, and lies on the hardwood floor K.O.-ed) That took _WAAAAAY_ too long, and even longer than it should have. So, before you start a cult, track me down and burn me at the stake, here is my top ten reasons for _why_ it was so late.

-

_**------ZEROYASHA'S TOP TEN EXCUSES------**_

-

10) I. Am. Lazy. I couldn't force myself to sit at a computer and type, while we have three weeks straight of 4-day weekends. XP

-

9) I had to go to my Grandma's house for one of the weekends. Since she doesn't have a computer, there goes a weekend, and another chance to write… I will say though, it was boring…

-

8) I started Macbeth in English just last week. That, my friends, is a reason in itself! Through the 'thines' and the 'thous', I need to actually figure out what the heck they just said. (It doesn't help that I fall asleep in the middle of the readings) Thank _GOD_ for the wonderful person that wrote notes in my book's margin…even if they're just random notes that make no sense to me without reading the entire line ten times. TT I'm going to fail the Macbeth _finnnnaaaallllll!!_ (Bawls)

-

7) It took me a while to come up with this list. I wasted precious time coming up with decent and not-so-decent reasoning, so be thankful for this list! (Miffin's note: It's lovely. I edited it too, by the way.)

-

6) I had to send it to Miffin to get edited, unlike the last few chapters. That means that after the twenty-some times that I went over various parts of it, it went through one more editor, then through me again, then after uploading it to one _final_ check, to make sure it didn't eat anything (as it has done before). Besides, I paid her a shiny nickel to edit this. Why would I not send it to her? owo (Miffin's note: It was shiny. (Smiley))

-

5) I don't have a fifth reason, therefore, that's my fifth reason for updating so late. Make sense? Good.

-

4) I want cookies, but no one makes me any!! _GRAARRGGG!!!_

_-_

3) Last weekend I was forced to endure _eight_ of my relatives staying at our house. My house fits eight people in _all_, if lucky. Not _twelve_ people that were staying. It was too crowded to move, and I couldn't sit in peace to write even if I _did _know what I wanted to write. So I retreated to my room and played FFIII for the whole 4-day weekend. Such a waste…

-My cousin also killed my computer _twice_, by plugging his laptop into it to connect to my internet. That severed all my connections, and I couldn't even open the simplest of programs without rebooting. For all you who don't know (which is most of you), I _hate_ rebooting. _ESPECIALLY_ for my stupid computer, which doesn't even like me to begin with. I'm too impatient to wait three minutes for this stupid thing to reboot. (And especially cautious now that I had to once do a hard reboot after a soft one, since it refused to turn on afterwards)

-

2) I just watched 25 episodes of D. grey-man in the span of two days. Gimee a break! My head hurt for a _week_! (That's also where I got 'bean-sprout' from for Axel, as well as other sorts of ideas. Akuma aren't that much different from AIDA…)

-Not to mention that spent 10pm-3am attempting to finish reading 'First Test' last night, to see if I could finish it without stopping. I failing with _eighteen_ pages left...I couldn't even see the page by that time...

-I also spent close to three hours looking for 'Doubt & Trust' from D. grey-man's newest opening. Nice song.

-

1) For my number one reason of _not_ writing, it's my over-active writer's block. (fizzle) You've got _no_ clue how hard it is to force yourself to write, if you have so many long weekends straight to write, yet no ideas of how to get past certain parts. Writing for Denki and Koji was the worse. (Miffin's note: They're so loveable!)

-

And there you have it. My little list that I wasted too much time coming up with. XP Hopefully the next chapter will be easier, especially since EvillyDisturbed helped me figure out what Libra looked like. (Thank you! I'd _still _be stuckif not for you!) So until next time, ta-ta! Please review too. You guys have become good at that…unlike Miffin… (Miffin's note: (Cat smile) What be this "review" thing, you speak of?)

¬ ¬

…I'll kill you for that, Miffin…


	12. Victory

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: .hack, .hack characters, and the idea of .hack doesn't belong to me. Just Eon, Shiruba, Denki, Koji, Sora, Aqua, Sijez, and this story do. Axel, Hikaru, Ginny, Aurum, 'The Guild Master', Hunter, and Rei all belong to Miffin. Don't take them, or else a giant muffin will fall from the sky, and squish you!

Yay! It took forever, but I can finally start a chapter with a little _humour_! It took long enough! XP

I also want to say happy Birthday to Dusk Ado. Since I'm vanishing on his birthday, this is my present to him; a new chapter in .hack/G.U.: Return. So happy Birthday, Puko! Have a good one!

_**Chapter Note!**_

_**禿び狗**_ means chibi-inu: little or small dog.

_**Megane-kun:**_ Magane means glasses in Japanese. Some translations say that it means 4-eyes, but I just say that it means glasses-kun. XP

_**Kuro:**_ means black in Japanese.

_**Hakama:**_ It's a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Axel refers to Denki's clothes as a Hakama, though they're not _exactly _a Hakama, since there's a short sleeved jacket over top, and a long sleeved under shirt-sort of thing. If you want to see what a Hakama looks like, go and check it on Wikipedia, or Google it. XP I'm too lazy to show you.

**_They also seemed to have changed this system since I last updated...so it'll look a little differant from now on I suppose...I'm making it look as neat as I can...I dun like messy things._**

I like ice cream, and enjoy the next chapter of the story!

* * *

**Victory**

* * *

The target was a simple bull's eye. It was about twenty meters from his current position; a simple enough distance for one with a longbow of all weapons. Reaching into a large, brown quiver on is back, he drew a long, thin arrow; the end spiralling into a drill-like shape; perfect for armoured monsters. Slowly, he fitted the arrow into place, between the strong, marble-shaded wood, and the thin, white string. He held the arrow between his middle and index finger, and drew back far. Longbows required tons of strength to pull, yet it was nothing in The World…AIDA server, or no. He pulled a little bit farther back, taking careful aim of his target. Shutting an eye, Hunter raised the bow to the level of his eye. He loosed.

He would have never guessed what happened next…nor understand it, if anything. The boy came flying from seemingly no where. Who would have guessed that he'd end up going in the _exact_ line of fire…?

_WHAM_!

_Player Rei: -2000HP_

The arrow's tip went straight into the boy's skull, and his already motionless body went flying back with the momentum, before finally landing a good distance away from Hunter, whose eyes were large with shock.

It took a few moments, and a couple of pints of red, sticky liquid, for Hunter to realize that he should actually _check_ on his latest…victim... Stepping slowly, he approached the motionless kid, watching for any sudden movements, though doubted that anything would come. It _was_ Rei after all…

Once he was close enough, Hunter stepped around the increasingly large puddle of red liquid, and, with a small, deep breath, he took all of his courage and nudged the boy in the head with his boot.

There was silence. Nothing stirred.

"Great. He's dead…" Hunter murmured, as he slowly took off his cowboy hat, and held it to his chest. "Poor kid, never stood a chance. I've just too good of a shot. Hitting monsters without even aiming for them…" A small tear trickled down Hunter's face dramatically.

"…whatever…" Rei murmured quietly, his purple hair now partially dyed with the red of what _appeared_ to be his blood.

"Holy spiffle-wagons!" Hunter gasped in shock, holding his fingers in a cross-like position. "Evil demon, be _GONE_!" He demanded.

Silence filled the air once more, before the boy finally managed to turn his unemotional self over, to face the idiotic Archer.

"…I'm lost…" He murmured, with just as much enthusiasm as before.

Hunter regarded the kid for a long moment, before stepping on his chest hard, and grabbing onto the arrow, now lodged within his brain. He yanked back hard. The boy didn't even yelp in shock…

"Aha! My trusty arrow has returned!" Hunter said cheerfully, before twirling it around like a pointed baton. He seemed to have forgotten about the boy and his previous theatrics completely, if not for the light, and equally unenthusiastic "ow" from him.

That made Hunter glare down at him.

"Why'd you get in my way?!" Hunter demanded, conveniently forgetting that Rei had fallen from the blackened ceiling of his Hades room; somewhere that was not even programmed into Hades itself… "Now I missed my bull's eye!" He complained.

Rei was silent…then again, he was _always_ silent. Even Kuroha, who had apparently refused to join Hades without the boy being apart of it with him, could not get him to speak, but the few phrases that he seemed to hold dear.

'I'm lost', 'whatever', and 'ow'. None of which with any hint of enthusiasm…then again, he _did_ go to a school for the…'gifted'…

Hunter scratched the back of his head uncomfortably with the arrow for a moment, before stepping back behind a thick, red line, marking the distance of thirty meters from the target.

_He'll be FINE!_ Hunter assured himself, as he refitted the arrow back into place; not noticing the sticky, red blood on the drilled tip. _He won't move unless someone helps him._ And with that final thought, he loosed.

How much of a fool he truly was… Who would have guessed, that at that _exact_ moment, Rei would decide to suddenly gain the willpower to move his PC body to sit up…so his head was right in front of the arrow's path for the bull's eye…?

_WHACK!_

_Player Rei: -1934HP_

_Try-Again ability activated! Remaining HP: 1._

Hunter starred at the kid for a long moment from his starting point; mouth hanging open widely, and cowboy hat tilted.

Something told him that he wouldn't be able to hit the bull's eye with this kid in his room…then again; third time's the charm…

* * *

-------------------------Epsilon: Roaring Crying Beast: AIDA Server--------------------

* * *

Axel couldn't believe his ears. They wanted them to _choose_ their side, before they told them anything? How…_why _would they even mention such a thing?! Weren't _they_ the ones that were trying to destroy The World with their AIDA? Wasn't it _them_ who had put oh so many people into comas? It just didn't make sense, telling him and Hikaru to join them, and become a part of their 'evil plot', for nothing more than a little tidbit size of info. Besides…Ginny and Aurum seemed to already know what those weird…ostrich egg-things were…so why even_ bother _to ask them such a question…? Was there more to it than just that…?

"Don't do it." Ginny warned him sternly; her eyes glued to the two AIDA Masters before her. "They'll turn this World upside down if you allow yourself to be suckered into their lies."

"Don'tchu think I already know that?!" Axel demanded quietly, glaring up at Ginny.

Ginryuu risked looking down at him with the corner of her eye.

"I believe that you know it…I'm just unsure of what you'll _say_." She explained with a snort.

Axel puffed his cheeks into a pout, before glaring back and Denki and Koji. Denki, like before, was grinning with his sightless gaze towards him. His eyes were glued shut, and he merely hovered leisurely. Koji, on the other hand, continued to nibble at the toothpick in his mouth edgily. His purple eyes shot from themselves, to the strange portal continuously.

"Should we stall em…?" Axel asked Hikaru quietly.

Hikaru opened his mouth to reply, but it was Denki who answered for him.

"Oh no, I think that would be quite rude. Why not hurry onto your choice…? We don't have all day, you know."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Koji murmured darkly, shooting the portal one more look, before spitting out his toothpick, and drawing a newer one from his pocket. "Hurry up and choose. It's just a yes or no." He said angrily, as he placed it into his mouth, and nibbled at it like the first.

"Now now, Koji. No need to be so rude." Denki said calmly, "But I do agree with you. Please, hurry and make your choice, or we'll be forced to _make _you choose…and I must say, I _hate _that method…" He explained with a small shrug, making his overly long under-jacket sleeves slide over his hands.

Axel narrowed his eyes, and silently contemplated on _what_ his answer would do. If they didn't answer soon, it sounded like they'd fight again…and if they _did_ answer…then what would happen…? Would they be drafted into Hades, or would they be forced to be a double agent? Or even worse…become infected with AIDA, like themselves… He shivered at the thought of being infected, and having _more_ than Ginny's mind with his own. He couldn't stand the thought of arguing with more than one temperamental computer program.

He looked at Hikaru for advice, but the Knight was leaning over once more; trying not to be sick within the server.

He bit at his tongue for a moment in deep thought, before finally coming to his conclusion. He _couldn't_ allow themselves to get infected. The World was the only place that he could enjoy, other than at school, with the_ many_ pranks that he pulled on his teachers. If these AIDA Explicants took it over, where would he have fun, and fulfill his homicidal instincts? Not at school, _that's_ for sure…

Axel stood (or more so floated) straight, and looked at Denki and Koji seriously, his green eyes slit like a cat's.

"I've made our decision." He said sternly. He knew that Hikaru couldn't answer at the moment, and also knew that he'd agree with him full heartedly. He took one last, quick glance at Hikaru, Aurum, and then Ginryuu, before finally looking back to the two of them. "We're not going to help you. We'll _never_ help you. This World's ours, and we won't let it be messed up by _you_ guys, _or_ your AIDA!"

Denki opened an eye slowly, grinning with an air of amusement, before shutting it again.

"I see." He started calmly, cutting off Koji, who was obviously about to protest. "If that is your choice, then there is no helping it, now is there?" He asked, though rhetorically. "We shall take our leave then...but keep in mind, Axel, Hikaru; we didn't make this offer for the soul purpose of 'destroying' The World. We did it for our ideals…or at least, our Master's ideals. The door to Hades is always open to ones that can control the power of a Guardian…remember that…"

Axel frowned at Denki is obvious defiance, before the Blade Partizan spun on the spot, and lifted his hand to snap his fingers. Instantly, the AIDA bubbles vanished, and the area looked perfectly white and pristine, minus the twilit surroundings.

"Let us go then, Koji." Denki said calmly, as he snapped the fingers of his other hand, and a thick, dark purple, black, and navy portal spiralled into appearance.

The Trump Joker hesitated for a long moment, as his purple eyes scanned the two of them one final time, before biting down hard onto his toothpick and turning towards Denki. He jiggled the toothpick between his teeth, up, and down…then up again, before nodding. "Fine…we'll report back…" He muttered defiantly, before stepping through the portal and vanishing from their sight. With a small, cheerful wave, Denki followed after him, before the portal quickly set out into nothingness once more.

Axel blinked in confusion. They left so…_cleanly_! He had expected that they'd attack them once more, to try to force him to change his mind…but they just…_left_! To him, it didn't make a bit of sense…but at the very least, they were gone. That in turn, meant their victory over two of the Hades members…didn't it?

Haseo ground his teeth together hard. What was taking them so long?! They should have been within the AIDA server _long_ ago! So why were they _still_ between servers?! Normally it'd take a matter of seconds to cross between a normal server and into an AIDA one, but this time, it was as if they were going in circles somehow, or lost. It was a straight line, wasn't it? Yet, it's been way too long. That couldn't be a coincidence. Someone or something didn't want them in it… The navies and violets suddenly began to disperse before them, and a bright light shone through towards them. Was this it at _last?_

"That's it!" Kuhn called excitedly. He of everyone seemed to want to dispose of these wrong-doers the most. "Let's go, Haseo!" He called cheerfully, before speeding up past the Terror of Death.

With a small sigh of exasperation, Haseo swivelled his head around to see the other two Epitaph Users. He jerked his thumb towards the light, and with a slight nod from both of them, the three sped up to match Kuhn, before bursting though the light.

The bright contrast of white in the AIDA server made Haseo shut his eyes tightly for a long moment, before slowly opening them once more into the blinding area. He quickly surveyed his surroundings on impulse. Everything seemed to be…fine…where were all of the Hades members?

"_HI KURO-KUN!!"_ Axel called out loudly, making Haseo turn to see him and his tall companion.

Both showed signs of a skirmish, but they also seemed to be fine, other than the burn marks on Axel's limp arm. Quickly, Haseo looked around for their opponents once more, but saw no one…could these two have…_beaten_ them?!

Haseo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as he landed on the long series of hexagonal tiles, and began to approach the two of them. The taller one, Hikaru, was pale, and was holding onto his knees hard, panting. His blue eyes were open, and he was sweating slightly. Haseo wondered what was wrong with him, before he suddenly vomited over the side of tiles. That answered it… Saku made a cry of protest, but Pi silenced her, and stepped into place next to Haseo.

"I don't see any enemies…" She murmured quietly; her eyes shooting around the area as his did previously.

"Neither do I…" Haseo whispered, before watching Kuhn bolt past both him and Pi.

"Are you two alright?!" He demanded, stopping a few feet from them to give them some room. "Where's the enemy?! What happened to you?!"

Axel laughed, and gave a wolfish grin, showing his teeth.

"Where do you think, Pony-boy?" Axel asked, his green eyes slitting slightly, "They're gone. We beat em a lickin'!" He chirped.

"What…?" Haseo couldn't help but ask, and stare at both of them in disbelief. "Don't lie. There's _no_ way that you beat some Hades members, Axel. Not in your _life._" The Adept Rogue explained, stopping a number of feet away from them. "You're just too…"

"Stupid?" Axel asked cheerfully.

"Yeah—what?!" Haseo asked, unsure of _what_ Axel had just tricked him into saying.

"That's so nice, Kuro-kun! It's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" The Twin Blade said cheerfully.

"…idiot…" Saku muttered.

"You're so nice too, switchy-chan!" Axel sang again.

"Agh…just tell us what happened, Axel." Pi said calmly, holding the bridge of her nose. She too, did not believe that these two would be able to beat a Hades member or more by themselves. They just didn't seem all that…reliable…

"Well," Axel started, "first thing we knew, we were in the actual server, but there were no Alters, so we started to walk around and look for em. But after a while, the card user and the guy with the hakama just suddenly showed up and demanded a fight…we didn't think you'd _like_ us fighting them, so we _tried_ to run, but there were no Warp Panel! Like _jeez_! Who doesn't put in _WARP PANELS_?! Anyway, we just summoned Ginny and Aurum, like we've been practising…but those jerks summoned _their_ AIDA Explicants as well!"

"They had _Explicants?!_" Pi demanded sternly, making Axel flinch back a bit.

"I just _said_ so, didn't I?" He asked indignantly. "They looked like a big flaming raven for the card-guy, and a scale or something for the other guy. Either way, it was _hard_! It felt like we were fightin' them for _hours_."

"So you're saying that you beat them…?" Kuhn asked, interested.

Axel paused for only a moment. Should he tell them that they _let_ them go…? No…if they did, who _knows_ how many questions they'd be hounded with later! A little white lie was the best…wasn't it…? Who would it hurt? Definitely not _him_…

"Not _entirely,"_ Axel said with a small shrug, "we got them to a point, but before we could Data crack em, they left, and the next thing we knew, you were here, Ms. Pee!"

_There,_ Axel thought, _now it's not ENTIRELY a lie…_

Pi leered at Axel dangerously, and he shut his mouth instantly. She then turned her leer towards the giggling Kuhn, and Haseo, who was trying to stifle his laughter as well. They fell silent as well.

"Wow, you must be really strong!" Bo said, sticking his knuckle into his mouth, and cocking his head a bit. "I sure wouldn't want to face _you_ in a fight!"

Axel put his hands on his sides and gave a triumphant smile, before looking around the area. He blinked as he noticed that their little portal had vanished after they arrived to their unneeded rescue.

"So…how do we get outta here…?" He asked, blinking around at the twilight surroundings.

That was one of the reasons that they stayed behind after their encounter…

* * *

--------------------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth-----------------------------

* * *

"Here." Yata said, as he stopped a number of paces from the Black Market NPC. His calculations were off, as he figured, but thankfully they weren't _too_ far off. He was still able to _find_ it after all… "Now all we need to do is enter the area." He explained calmly, before beginning to hack into the system.

Endrance and Atoli nodded silently, not wishing to risk interfering with his work. Neither of them knew how hard it was to hack, and didn't want to find out either… The area that Yata pointed out began to pulse lightly, and a static sound began to fill the air around them.

_Perfect…this is going better than I anticipated…_ Yata thought with a small grin in the real world. _Just a little further now…_

Instantly, a small, circular portal opened for him, and he stood straight once more.

"Let's go." He ordered, and without an answer, he entered the portal.

Atoli nodded to Endrance, before quickly entering it as well, and Endrance followed both their leads.

It was dark inside of the portal, as they glided forwards easily. There were light slivers of yellows and oranges in between the contrasting navies and violets of the seemingly endless tunnel, as well as small clouds of AIDA bubbles. Yata took their presence as a definite existence of AIDA within this server, and quickly relayed the information to his two team mates. They glided silently after that, keeping their eyes forward, and their selves ready for anything. Yata couldn't help but eye all of the random clouds of bubbles that they passed. It seemed that the farther they went, the more AIDA there seemed to be…something that did not sit well with him. After working so hard to rid The World of AIDA and Cubia, with the sacrifice of a good friend no less, it was almost heartbreaking to see it back; especially in such great numbers.

_Enough wallowing!_ He told himself sternly, and blinked hard to bring himself back to the tunnel. _There are more important things to think of right now! We're here on a rescue mission! Not to mourn!_

It pleased him when he saw the bright shine of light in the distant end of the tunnel.

"We're almost there," He said to both of his companions, before risking a look back at them. "Be ready."

* * *

-----------------------The Warring City: Lumina Cloth: AIDA Server---------------------

* * *

Eon's hope was short-lived, as Aqua reappeared around the corner and set her eyes on her reflected silhouette. Her silver eyes narrowed, and a devilish grin set itself upon her face.

"Well, well…no wonder I couldn't find you, 禿び狗…" Aqua murmured, as she flipped her fans in a complete circle in her hands, before holding them in an attack position. "Because you were hiding all along…"

Without a moment's notice, Aqua shot a beam of water at Eon, quickly solidifying it into ice as it approached her. She barely had time to unfold her large, silver wings, and hop out of the way, before the ice slammed into her left wing; instantly freezing it awkwardly. The shock made her plummet to the ground immediately, her knees slamming into ground with such force, that she had to bite down hard to not cry out in pain. Eon set her ears back threateningly, but it was well known to both of them by now, that she was little or no threat to the experienced Guardian Master.

"What's wrong? Hurt?" Aqua asked mockingly, as she stopped mere paces from Eon's kneeling position.

Eon ground her teeth together harder, as she tried to lift herself; it didn't happen. Her frozen wing smacked the railing beside her, and she instantly went down again, as frozen feathers shattered off of it. Her knees were no better. She could see small traces of blood seeping from them through the white parts of her pants. Out of desperation, Eon glared up at Aqua and bared her dog-like fangs at her. Aqua only grinned at her sadistically, before reaching down, and lifting her by the black collar around her neck.

"Don't tell me that this is _all_ you've got!" She said, lifting her as high as she could. "How sad. I thought that we Guardian Masters were supposed to be stronger than this…" Eon grunted in pain as her injured wing slowly scraped across the railing, before finally moving up past it. Her eyes slit dangerously, as she glared at Aqua, and tried to kick at her with her legs. She immediately gave up that plan though; once her foot made contact with Aqua's collar bone, a jolt went all the way up her leg, and made her cracked knees sting ten times more than before. "What're you waiting for, 禿び狗? Why don't you just call your Guardian, so I can beat both you _and_ it into the ground! Or is it that you don't know how? Or are you afraid…? Heh…figures. A brat like you could _never_ comprehend its power…" Aqua goaded, making Eon begin to grind her teeth together.

_She_ knew why she wasn't summoning Shiruba. Aqua didn't have to know. It was Shiruba who was looking for the exit for her…though it seemed futile at the moment. Aqua had her three feet from the ground, and she could hardly move her legs, even if she _did_ let go! Not to mention her wing might push her off balance, saying that her legs _could_ support her weight right now…

Aqua's expression suddenly changed from delight to troubled, as she narrowed her eyes slightly, before looking to the side, reading a short-mail. Her head suddenly shot towards the plaza behind her, making Eon swing almost limply around with her.

There, in the middle of the Plaza, a medium-sized, navy-violet portal began to spin into existence.

Aqua swore vulgarly, before gripping Eon by the neck, instead of the collar.

"Damn you G.U. members and your Serpent…" She told the dog girl, her eyes slit to mere lines, and her red hair on end. She began to squeeze, making Eon clutch at her hand hard, attempting to pry it off. "How did you tell them where you are?!" Aqua demanded, now clutching Eon's neck with both hands.

Eon was choking for air, and obviously wasn't about to waste her breath, attempting to answer the angered Dancer. Gathering up all of her strength, Eon managed to bend her right leg up, and twist it into a kick, right into Aqua's face.

Out of shock more so than pain, Aqua dropped Eon to the ground, where she lazily flapped her one remaining wing, and managed to land without too much hurt in her legs, before getting to her hands, and hopping as far away from Aqua as she possibly could. Swearing, Aqua lashed out at the girl with her fans, narrowly missing her nose, as Eon fell backwards, away from her. Instantly, Eon set her hands aflame and launched herself and her now flaming claws at her, ignoring the throbbing from her legs. She threw one claw at her fans, which she blocked instinctively with, but the other around her guard, and to her face, scorching her cheek and right eye.

Aqua screamed out in agony, and backed away from Eon, as the dog girl suddenly lowered her body towards the ground, and smacked her head into her gut hard, making her back up farther, but to Eon's displeasure, she didn't loose her balance as intended.

"You brat!" Aqua howled, now ignoring the short mail her Master had sent her. He told her to keep her conscious, or at least until he knew where her loyalties lied…but this was too much for the temperamental Dancer. She lifted her fans high above her head, and howled the word 'Aqueous' at the top of her lungs. At this distance, the attack would be lethal…

As they approached the light, Yata could hear the spell clearly. Gritting his teeth hard together, he could hear the shrill screech of the ice leave the caster, and most likely towards their rescuee. There was an unbearable moment of silence, where all three Epitaph Users held their breath, before hearing a small wail of agony.

The attack made contact.

"_No!_" Yata howled angrily, as they finally emerged into the inverted city.

Aqua turned her head instantly; her face twisted into a wolfish grin as her silver eyes set on her three newest targets. One was tall with purple hair…the previous Arena Emperor, if she wasn't mistaken… One had a burette that looked as if it'd roll over her eyes at any moment…a Harvest Cleric… And the final one, the one leading their group by the looks of it, with a strong build, and tanned skin. Seeing him, she turned to face them completely. She knew him. His description matched _perfectly_. Orange glasses; a Macabre Dancer, like herself… There was no mistaking it. _He_ was G.U.'s leader: Yata.

"Well, well, well…" She murmured darkly, as she flicked her fans open and shut slowly. "I expected rescuers…but not _you_, of all people, Yata…"

Yata ignored Aqua's comment, and looked past her to Eon, whose eyes were large, as if in shock, staring before herself. Both of her wings were frozen solid; the right one in an angle, as if used as a shield from the previous attack they heard from within the tunnel. She was shaking violently from either the cold or sheer fear from being so close to becoming comatose, and her eyes gave an almost sightless feeling.

He let out a small, disapproving grunt, before narrowing his eyes at Aqua.

"Why did you trap her here?" He questioned sternly, never lifting his eyes from her face.

Aqua teetered her head from side to side for a long moment, as if mocking thought, before shrugging widely.

"Why wouldn't I…?" She questioned rhetorically, a smug grin on her face. "It was my Master's wish, so why _should_ I question it…? It's what your little underlings do in G.U. too, isn't it…?"

"I have no underlings." Yata spat coldly, as his dark eyes glared at Aqua. He feared that if he attacked her from this angle, no matter how well aimed his spell may be, it might hit Eon in the process… "Everyone has a right to their opinion in G.U. I merely coordinate where we will strike the AIDA, and command the Guild, Raven. Members may choose what orders they wish to obey or not."

"Oh…?" Aqua muttered in interest. "How is it that you can be the _leader_ of G.U. with such a foolish ideal?! How can you get _anyone_ to go where you want, if they have the choice_ not_ to?! Or is it just because you control that little _Serpent_ of yours, that you're their boss, and get to run the show…? Do you control them with fear, maybe…?"

Yata's eyes widened in shock for a quarter of a second, before regaining himself. He couldn't let her see him off edge…he wouldn't allow the Leader of Crystal Seraphim catch him off guard. He couldn't afford it; especially not _now_ of all times…

"How do you know about that?" He demanded, watching her hard for any lies.

"How do I know about it…? How do I _not_ know about it?!" Aqua asked, "If I can make an AIDA server out of a _Root Town_, who says that I know nothing of G.U., and your little Serpent of Lore…? Besides, the little Sakaki fiasco a few months back makes it hard not to dig into it…you should really be more careful with top secret info like that, Megane-kun…"

Inwardly, Yata was listing off all of the swears that he ever knew. How could she know about the Serpent of Lore? It was G.U.'s secret. Sure, Sakaki used it to show Skeith a few months back…but still; it wouldn't leak past them just like that!

_They must have something…_ Yata told himself silently. _Something…or someone that told them about the Serpent of Lore…but who, or what is it…?_

"Curious, I see…" Aqua murmured, her eyes half closed, as if enjoying a day in the park. "Can't blame you for being at least a _little_ confused either... I can't tell you _how_ we know of your little 'Serpent', but I can say that _none_ of your secrets are safe from us, Yata. _No one_ in G.U…no one in _The World_, is safe from our eyes…" Aqua slowly paced around Eon, as if inspecting a caged animal, before brushing her hand along one of her frozen wings. The dog girl jolted in shock, and seemed to come back her senses, before attempting to snap at Aqua, who easily backed out of the way with a sidestep. "Te-sty…"

Eon growled at her like a beast, as she slowly attempted to fold her frozen right wing back behind her. Feathers crackled and fell, before shattering against the brick floor, but at last, the wing moved back into place. Shakily, Eon forced her hands down, and her leg muscles up. She stood awkwardly, with her knees pressed against each other for support.

"So you can stand…good for you." Aqua said coldly, as she flicked her fans open, and stood between her, and her rescuers. "A fat lotta good that'll do you, if you can't do anything more than that!" She suddenly lunging at her with her fans outstretched.

Eon couldn't tell if it was her, or reflex that made her wings suddenly burst into flame, and move forward to her protection against the Macabre Dancer. Whichever one it was though, it obviously saved her from who knows _how_ many years of a coma… Aqua recoiled backwards once her fans met with the ferocious flames, and slowly paced to the side, forgetting about her three other opponents.

Big mistake.

Yata saw his chance, and quickly howled "Rai Zas!" Instantly, lightning shot from his hands, and flew towards Aqua with deadly precision. She barely had a moment to turn and look, before the powerful electric spell shocked her, making her spiked hair stand on end, and her legs suddenly fall from beneath her; numb. Atoli took this chance, and called out "Pha Repth!" A small green circle snaked its way across the floor, and found Eon's feet within a second, instantly healing her scratches, and cracked knees, as if new.

"Disaster Blade!" Endrance called, as he flung himself at the Macabre Dancer with all of his speed and might, swinging his long, thin sword at her. Flower petals followed his movements, as Aqua narrowly managed to guard with her fans against the first part of the attack, before being thrown back a few feet by the second strike.

She grit her teeth together, before forcing herself to stand once more; her silver eyes surveying all four of her opponents now. Eon had joined them. Her eyes slit, then suddenly went round once again, as the familiar 'bing' of a short mail rang in her ears.

_Now of all times!_ She thought angrily, though thankfully for her, it was only one word long.

'_Retreat'._

Aqua scoffed at the mail, before glaring back over to her opponents. The Harvest Cleric was making short work of the brat's wounds, and the Blade Brandier, Endrance, she believed, was standing before her; ready to strike once more. Yata was in the rear, as most Macabre Dancers were; focusing on their magical statistics and abilities. The brat herself, seemed to be watching her closely, though hadn't said a single word since their arrival.

Slowly, Aqua moved her right hand back and forth, unsure of what she should do. If she retreated now, it would seem like she was a coward…but she'd be following orders. If she _didn't_ retreat, and went against the Guild Master's orders…then it would spell trouble for her…the _painful_ type of trouble…

She made a small, deep grunt in the back of her throat, before shutting her fans with a snap, and thrusting them into her leather belt.

"Well, it looks like you got away _this _time, _禿び狗_…" Aqua murmured, as she began to step backwards, into a large, navy, purple, and black portal. "But next time you won't be so lucky… _Next time_, if you don't call that cursed mutt of yours, you'll be in far worse shape…both here _and_ in the real world!" Eon gave Aqua a sceptical sneer, but the Macabre Dancer wasn't finished speaking. She motioned the portal behind her, as if something important, before continuing. "I didn't trap you here for no reason, _kid_." She said, narrowing her eyes at Eon; ignoring the fact that three G.U. members were behind her, listening to their one-sided conversation. Right now, it didn't matter to her. All she wanted to do was finish her mission to the best of her ability…even if it meant giving away a couple of secrets… "I did it because it's my _job_. You can't stay with them. It's not _your_ job. You'll never learn how to completely control Shiruba on your own. Unless you join _us_, one day you'll go berserk from summoning her…just like an Avatar… Only it won't be _nearly_ as pretty…"

Eon blinked in confusion, she wanted to ask what she meant, but the sudden order of silence within her head made her bite her tongue. _Hard_.

_You can't trust her._ Shiruba said quickly, and almost angrily. She could hear the deep growls emitting from inside of her throat, even if she couldn't see her right now. Not wishing to enrage a beast that was easily twenty-some times bigger than herself, she held her tongue. Surely Aqua would answer her question…hopefully…

"What do you mean?" Yata asked, but Aqua merely shrugged.

"This conversation isn't for you, baldy." She said simply, before turning her eyes back to the short Guardian Master once more. "My Master wishes to…_employ_, you abilities…" She worded carefully. "It can be a win-win situation. You learn how to control Shiruba, and you just need to help him out a bit… Simple, right…?"

_Don't do it._Shiruba growled dangerously. Eon could sense her almost blood thirsty anger now, and it made her stomach churn in knots. Why was she so mad…? Sure, she didn't want The World to be destroyed by AIDA, just as much as anyone else…but why get _this_ mad from just the _thought_ of losing The World? Wasn't it obvious that she wouldn't join Aqua, no matter _how_ curious she was…?

"N…No…" Eon murmured carefully, almost choking when she remembered that she _could_ speak.

Aqua was silent for a long moment, before turning to face the portal instead of them.

"I see." She said, almost calmly; starring into the deep abyss of the portal. "If that's your decision, then so be it. I won't stop you…not _today_, at least… Just remember one thing though," Aqua said, slightly turning her head to look at Eon, "Hades' door is always open to Guardian Masters. It's one of the _only_ places for Guardian Masters. G.U. can't supply you with the sort of training you need to control that beast. It involves more than beating a few monsters into the ground, or expelling some AIDA from The World. You won't survive long in this World, without our training…" And with that, Aqua stepping into the portal, and vanished.

Silence filled the air for a long time, before Atoli finally broke it.

"Are you…okay, Eon…?" She asked quietly, unsure of her healing job.

Eon blinked, and jumped a bit, startled. She was thinking hard on what Aqua had just said. What did she _mean_, 'won't last long'…? Was it…no…that couldn't be it…

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…now…" Eon choked out the final word, in an attempt to be thankful for her rescue. Even though Yata kicked her out of G.U., he came to save her. How kind. Maybe it was guilt…but either way, she was still on one piece…hopefully… "I'll live now." She assured, before watching Yata move towards her from the corner of her good eye. She stood straight, and glared hard at the Macabre Dancer. Yata didn't stop until he was fully in her small field of view. He was silent for a long time, and Eon could sense Endrance and Atoli holding their breath on this little, unwanted reunion.

"I…apologize for not being here sooner." He stated formally, though Eon couldn't tell what he was thinking with his tone. Nothing gave anything away in his voice, and she decided that he meant _that_, at least. "If not for my rash decision in the Serpent of Lore, this may have been avoided…" He explained.

Eon was fighting herself from saying something like, 'well duh!', or possibly, 'you think?!' Instead, she nodded curtly.

"I guess so." She said simply, unsure if she should attempt to make him feel worse right now, or cut him some slack. He _seemed_ to regret it…considering how bad she must have looked when they found her. _She _could barely believe she looked so bad! Normally she was quite good within The World…then again, she didn't _normally_ come to Root Town AIDA Servers, with homicidal Macabre Dancer-water-chicks in them either…

Yata shut his eyes for a long moment, and sighed lightly, before looking at her again.

"But you fought with a Hades member…" He said, reminding her of his previous warning against her battling AIDA, and the consequences.

Eon knew where this was going. She didn't hesitate on her response. She didn't want to leave The World, and she didn't want to be forced out either.

"So you're saying that this is _my_ fault…?" She questioned, looking slowly from him, to Atoli, then to Endrance, before looking back to their leader. "You're saying, right now, that I should have just _sat_ here, and _let_ her put me into a coma then…?"

The force of her words stung Yata hard. That was true. Aqua wasn't going easy on her. She _would_ have been in a coma, if she hadn't fought back…and considering just _how_ strong Aqua was, she shouldn't have lasted that long either, with just one eye…or so he thought…

Yata sucked in a long breath of air through his nose, before speaking again. He'd never been so indecisive, or foolish before in his entire life. Why couldn't he see earlier, that even with a handicap, someone could play The World all the same? He'd even watched _Atoli_ play with only one hand, back when the AIDA stole her Avatar, Innes, from her. Of course that's different than playing with just one _eye_, but still…she survived this encounter…and it seemed that it was the best choice either way…

"I was wrong," he started, forcing out the words. He knew that he had to say it, even if he loathed it. "I should have never kicked you out of G.U., Eon. It was discriminatory towards your possible incapability's, and judged completely falsely."

Eon watched him closely, half glaring, half intensely listening, before crossing her arms over her chest.

"In _English_ please, baldy." She stated coldly. She wouldn't let him get away with an apology in a completely different dialect from her own. _Formality_. What kind of apology was _THAT_?! A sucky one, _that's_ for certain…

Yata frowned slightly, but repeated himself in less formal jabber, before forcing himself into an extremely slight, sorry bow to Eon.

"Please, forgive my mislead thoughts. You are free to rejoin operation G.U. again, and battle the AIDA as you did before." He explained, before straightening, and looking back at her. He was shocked to see her slight frown, and her tail waving slowly, almost angrily.

"You…really think that I want to join G.U. again, after _that_…?" She questioned harshly. Eon knew that Yata was trying hard to make her forgive him, but even _she_ wouldn't make it that easy for him. He kicked her out of G.U., threatened to take The World away from her, and even took away the _only_ time that she had _ever_ felt needed; in this World, or the real one. How could she _possibly_ forgive him, or anyone else so easily?

A worried frown replaced Yata's previous look, as did Atoli's and Endrance's. What would she do without G.U.? She couldn't track down AIDA without the Serpent of Lore, and she wasn't even _that_ experienced against the AIDA either…

"Eon—" Yata started, but she cut him off before he could try to convince her to rejoin their Guild.

"I'm going to save The World." Eon stated calmly; her eyes strong, and her words unfaltering. She _meant_ it. "I'll defeat the AIDA, but not within your little Guild, Yata. If I have to, I'll even do it alone."

* * *

Wow, the end of the chapter, and I _did _manage to make it on time! _Hurrah!_

Okay, chapter's over; time to rant, so listen up!

As stated before, Happy Birthday, Dusk! I worked cursed hard to finish the chapter in time for your B-day, so you'd _better_ enjoy it! (Falls over, swirly eyed)

Man, the weekend before last, I worked 11 hours on a demo. For those of you who _don't_ know what a demo is, I shall explain in simplified terms;

Grab a jackhammer, and smack stuff with it, while cleaning up after.

Understood? Good. Here's the unofficial definition:

Demolition: A job in which one releases all anger they possess, while within legal bounds, and with pay.

I got paid, but never actually _saw_ the check, which makes me depressed… (Whines)

Last weekend I worked on and off, but I had a _very_ bad case of ADD, so I didn't get much of the chapter done until that Sunday…then I went off to play video games. I like video games…also; I spent two and a half hours attempting to vacuum up a water leak, which we didn't _know_ was a leak, until _afterwards_. No wonder it wouldn't stop coming… (Smacks forehead…HARD)

That ADD still remains…

This weekend…today, really (It's a long weekend. WHOO!) I went on a Junk Drop that should have lasted only an hour or so max. It lasted 4 and a half hours… (Fizzle) I dun like working long and hard, especially when I'm _not_ being paid for such things… What's worse, Wednesday was one of those days that everything goes _perfectly_ the first part of the day, then suddenly crashes down on you at the _end_ of the day…in my case, in math class. The _final_ period of the day…how kind… Miffin, who's normally in that class with me wasn't there either, since she vanished to _CHINA_ that morning. T T I was so lonely. I didn't get much of anything done that day…plus, I paid Miffin to edit this chapter, but she left before she could do so…

(Shakes fist) DARN IT MIFFIN!! GIVE ME BACK MY TWENTY THREE CENTS!!

Yeah…also, all of my teachers decided that next week they're going to dump a lot of work onto us; therefore, since I'm not even going to _be_ there any longer that Tuesday (Monday's off), I got all of these hand outs, some that're about 12 pages long, or longer. They need to be finished by the end of Spring Break. I don't see _how_ I can finish them, when _I__am vanishing off to__JAPAN_ on Wednesday. (Thus is why I needed to finish this chapter for Dusk _before_ I vanished) I also have what? Three _unit finals_ that I need to take on Tuesday? Well, won't _that_ be lovely… (Fizzle, anger mark, sweat drop)(Starts cramming for the tests, and attempting to do a Bio hand out of things I never learned, but think I can do anyway)(Failing miserably)

Ah, okay, that's enough ranting for me now. (Feels refreshed)

I don't exactly know _when_ the next chapter will be up, since, as stated earlier, I'm going to Japan over the break, and I can't bring a chapter with me. (This computer doesn't have a disk slot…good going, Gateway…) It'll hopefully be up two weeks after I get back, maybe earlier…but I'm unsure about _that_ right now, since a new character is going to be introduced. (If any of you remember my first chapter, I said that I'd take in OC's. If you have any that you want to see in here by strange chance, then send me an E-mail. You all know it. Hard to forget it.) This OC is Dusk's 'Ado'. Not much on him _yet_ (next chapter), but it'll build up…as soon as Dusk sends me attack/tech info and statistics, the chapter will fly by…I hope…

Again, you all know the drill; please Review. I want to go for…40 this chapter, and up! I reached the 100 000 word mark! We should be _celebrating_! Humour me, please. Tell me how many stupid little errors I managed to miss this time, (It's sooooooo much easier with Miffin _and_ me editing…) or if it was any good. I think it was okay. I'd like more fighting though…bad Aqua! More fighting next time!

**Aqua**: . . .

…what…?

**Aqua**: Aqueous!

_zeroyasha is unable to continue to the end of this chapter rant, because she has been attacked by a homicidal water-chick. Thank you for your patronage of this chapter. Coming up next is—_

**Aqua**: _AQUEOUS!_


	13. Ranking

_Disclaimer_: .hack/G.U. and anything to do with it doesn't belong to me. I wish it did, but if you're reading this chapter, I bet you did too.

Axel, Hikaru, Kuroha, 'The Guild Master', Ginny, Aurum, Hunter, and Rei don't belong to me, but in fact Miffin.

Eon, Aqua, Sijez, Shiruba, Denki, Koji, and the plot belong to me. Don't take them without asking, or I'll be forced to put a voodoo curse on you until you give them back.

Now, finally making an appearance after so long, the one, the only, Ado! Property of Dusk Ado. Do not take him, or else he'll hurt you…really, really hurt you…badly…with a spork…

Yippee! After so long, I can finally get on with the Tournament! Whoo! The Tournaments take up almost half of the first two .hack/G.U. games, and about a third of the final one (if I remember correctly…). I hope it won't take up _quite_ that much time in this fic…but who knows where it'll lead me…oh well. Say la vii.

_**Chapter Notes:**_

_**- **_God Chim Chims are special Chim Chims that raise the affection level of the characters in the party by two levels. (The little spinning orbs around the larger one) Axel refers to it in this chapter, so keep it in mind if you didn't ever meet one.

_**- **_火: Ka or Hi. Both mean fire in Japanese. (Ka also means Tuesday!)

_**- **_暗闇: Ankoku; means darkness. (One of the _many_ words for darkness; I gave up looking after 20.)

_**- **_The 'One Sin' was apparently some monster that Orca and Balmung fought together sometime before the beginning of the first .hack series. It's the battle that won Balmung his wings, and what made them both so famous in The World. Look it up if you're so interested. I'm lazy! (According to Miffin, it was a dragon…)(Miffin's note: If you really want to find out about it, read .hack/AI buster. It's a novel, so if you don't like those, too bad for you. :3)

**-**Chewbacca is a furry beast-thingy in Star Wars. I do not own Star Wars, but Chewy is awesome. ' w'

_**- **_Sorel is the name of one of Miffin's characters, but isn't directly _in_ this story…I just love Sorel so much that I named a team after him, even though they're losers… XP

"EGGPLANT!" insider's joke… (Miffin's note: XD)

_**WARNING! THIS CHAPTER IS BLEEPING LONG! **_

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Welcome to Chapter 13: Ranking. Enjoy the chapter, pukos!

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* * *

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**Ranking**

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_By now, it was a faint sight that haunted her every night. She didn't even know who he was, nor could she see him clearly any longer, but she knew to hate him. Eon grit her teeth as she stared at the tall man, towering over her, now nearly shadowed black from the loss of her memory regarding him. He had broad shoulders and short hair, though she could no longer tell the colour. The only thing that stood out on him was his ever-so-familiar left arm. The arm that killed her back then…_

_She could see a small smile visible on his face, though couldn't tell why he was smiling; it was too dark. He spread his arms wide, as if welcoming her, as she attempted to reach for her blade, but it was too far away for her to reach. She looked down at herself, even though she knew what was already there. Her body…no…her __PC__ body was disappearing. Small speckles of green light shone around the hexagonal edges of where the attack had hit her, leaving a hole clean through her chest, and eating away at her remaining data… It moved way too fast for her to dodge, or to even defend against. It was like an arrow…triangular, and red; or at least, that's what she thought she saw…_

_She looked back up to the man, surprised to feel the tears begin to fill her eyes. Wasn't this a game…? Why was it so real then…? It hurt…she was so tired…_

_It was funny, Eon suddenly noticed in sick humour. Back then, during that fight at least…it was as if she could see just fine. No handicaps…just her, and this tall man…though it was hardly a fight that she wished to remember. It was over in instants , anyways._

"_Become," He said lightly, in a voice that she would never allow herself to forget, even if she did lose his face. "Become the Judgement." And with that, he slowly turned, and began to walk away from her, as if she never existed in the first place._

_Eon howled in anger and pain, as the man gave her one last look under his tinted glasses, before just vanishing from her sight, as if never existing either._

_Eon reached for him, only to scream in gargled shock, as she watched green light eat away at her fingers, and small, transparent hexagons fall from her fingers, arm and hand._

"_No!" She howled one last time, before falling over slowly, and everything suddenly became black…_

-

Ripping her claws back hard, and thrusting her elbows down and angled, Eon quickly finished off her opponent with an easy spin-kick to the head, before landing casually. She instantly turned to guard against a new face to her left with no trouble, before igniting her claws, and shooting them towards the Edge Punisher in an 'x' position. He was forced back, but didn't loose his footing, as he guarded against the attack with his large broadsword. Eon made a slight face of discontent, before continuing her short assault, kneeing him hard just under his rib cage.

The Edge Punisher made a strangled noise that was somewhere between a grunt and gurgle of pain, before lowering his guard for just a second. One second of shock, and Eon took it as her last chance. Moving quickly, she made a simple uppercut motion with her right hand, only to instantly feint it into an elbow to his head, before turning her back to him, and forcing her right leg under him, twisting it behind his left ankle, and slamming him with her back and left elbow.

He instantly lost his balance, but Eon didn't bother finishing him off. She quickly jumped just out of range of an oncoming spell from a Shadow Warlock, (who Hikaru was supposed to have finished off a minute ago) before landing a number of inches from Axel, who had just annihilated her previous prey with a lightning-like spell.

They stood back to back for a long moment, waiting. They watched all of their remaining opponents, before she finally spoke.

"Are you sure that you should be here right now…?" She questioned easily, before beginning to cast a medium-strong fire spell. "Yata could get mad at you for ignoring another one of his calls."

Axel made a small, uncaring grunt, before guarding against a foolish Harvest Cleric with his twin blades. He forced all of his weight towards the Cleric, and her staff instantly separated from his blades, as she fell over like a sack of potatoes. He made a devilish grin, before stabbing her easily with his short-sword-like blades, until her character kneeled on the ground, transparent and unmoving.

"Who cares what that baldy thinks?" Axel asked, half angrily, half tiredly. "If he wants to call Hikki and me, then tough luck. He's got more of a chance catching a God Chim Chim, and _making_ me like him. We're not his pets, like his little Avatar-_goons._"

Eon made a light grunt, contemplating on what to say, before casting her spell towards the Shadow Warlock, who the slow Hikaru was still attempting to skewer with his Lance. She dodged Hikaru easily, but took the slight damage of the fire attack, paralyzing her just long enough for the Lord Partizan to hit her head on with his attack, as she intended. The girl died instantly, and kneeled on the ground like her other Arena comrades.

"You know that's not what I mean, Axel." Eon said quietly, so their remaining two opponents couldn't overhear them.

It had been two days since she had refused to rejoin G.U. after her experience with Aqua, and Axel and Hikaru's tango with Denki and Koji. Axel and Hikaru had refused to tell G.U. the entire story; she was the only one who had. That made her happy to know that they were more loyal to herself than Yata, but at the same time, concerned. She may not have the same education as all of the schooled G.U., but she could tell that there was trouble in G.U. right now. Axel and Hikaru continued to ignore Yata's calls, (seven times already, just for today) and stuck close to her like glue. She wondered if they were just doing it out of concern, or the fact that Axel wanted to prove a point: he was _not _Yata's pet. Yata could _never_ whip him into one, and both of them knew it all too well.

From what she could gather out of the tidbits of information Axel and Hikaru would let slip, Yata was extremely concerned about the possible threat of Hades and Crystal Seraphim right now; more so than ever before. He seemed to be working non-stop to try to track them, or find a way to hack into Hades, but the firewall guarding the Guild wouldn't allow him even the simplest glimpse of it. He also seemed to be more interested in them and their Guardians right now, to the point of trying to get the two of them to go nowhere without an Epitaph User with them within The World.

Axel absolutely _hated_ the idea. That could be another reason for their sudden devotion to her as well…though it also seemed that Yata was trying to get Pi and Kuhn to dog her from time to time; she managed to escape them by Logging Out, or changing Servers quickly though…

Eon narrowed her eyes at the thought of Crystal Seraphim; Aqua in particular. She herself had been training non-stop so that she would stand a chance against her in their next encounter…though she knew that she was still nowhere near her level. Her hit points were only at half right now, having taken only four whole hits, and a spell…it was pathetic. She needed more training, though that was only one of her problems right now. There was also only one day left until the Warrior Palace Tournament actually started, and they had yet to make the ranking. Sure, they gained double the WP points, having only half the total number of players available to join the party, but still, rank number 15, with 8 being the lowest…? That'd take some more time…time that they didn't seem to have…

She unconsciously bit onto her thumbnail in the real world, before nibbling at it hard. (Good thing she had a one-handed controller…) If only they could take care of their ranking first. Once they got to eight, or higher even, that'd ensure them a place in the Tournament, then she'd have time to train between their matches...

Eon instantly snapped back into The World, as she realised that Axel had just body slammed her out of the way of a powerful shot-attack from a Steam Gunner across the Arena floor.

"Don't zone out on me, Eon!" The Twin Blade ordered angrily, before racing towards the Blade Brandier to her right, who was obviously advancing towards them from her blind spot.

She grit her teeth hard, as she ducked her head down lower, and with a sudden burst of speed, shot towards the Steam Gunner at an alarming rate. Out of all of her stats, her speed was her highest, on par with that of her devastating attack power. Only Axel was faster than her, but why wouldn't he be…? He _was_ a ninja after all…or so he claimed…

The Steam Gunner made a small cry of shock as Eon glared up at him with her golden eyes; her claws raking upwards at his torso. He somehow managed to tap the 'O' button to defend with his large rifle-like weapon, but it hardly helped. As soon as the wolf-child finished her slash, she flipped herself onto her hands, and kicked a powerful right foot into his jaw, sending him soaring through the air like an ungraceful bird, only to slam back-first into the large, blue barrier which surrounded them.

He coughed a shocked yelp-growl, before managing to land on his feet, and aiming his steam-weapon at her. Eon stood ready, though her stomach churned uncomfortably. Her character wasn't built for defence. Neither the defensive, nor magical-defensive stats were all too high, not to mention her moderate sum of Hit Points. She was also at half health the way it was…one powerful attack, and she'd be done for…

She didn't expect the speed of the shot; it was over for her the second the small, circular bullet hit her PC body.

As if in slow motion, Eon watched from the M2D screen before her eye(s) uselessly, as her body fell to its knees, and suddenly became transparent; allowing the violets, greens, and reds of the aurora above to make a ghostly reflection in her translucent shadow.

Eon grit her teeth together hard, to not yell out or possibly even curse, as she realized that even if she _did_ manage to defend, with the meagre amount of hit points that she had, she'd have died anyway from the power behind the attack.

Her shoulders hunched in the real world for a brief moment, as she imagined what all of the viewers were thinking with her pointless death. She could have kept her hit points up, to avoid such a foolish thing…but didn't…that was just _like_ her! Worst though, she thought of what Aqua, and even the random distribution of G.U. members were thinking as well. She _knew_ they were here. She already saw Aqua before the match had officially started, and caught a glimpse of the 'Terror of Death', before he moved from his viewing area; possibly for a better seat.

Eon shook her head hard, before pinching her sharp index fingernail into the flesh of her thumb to snap her out of those thoughts. She knew that Axel and Hikaru would revive her before the end of the fight, but they'd also lose a certain number of WP Points from the use of a revival item and her death. There was an even greater penalty for _leaving_ her dead, so revival was their only option.

_All I can do now is wait…_ Eon thought, suddenly calm, before taking in the Arena's surroundings around her for the first time. The sky was a dark, navy-black, with shimmering white and pale yellow stars in the distance. A large aurora blazed above the Arena in ever-changing arrays of red, violet, blue, and green. She noticed the odd comet fall in the distance of stars, as well as a clear, red full-moon, hidden tidily behind the graphics of the aurora. _It seems like this area was made for more than just one type of viewing,_ the wolf-child thought almost humorously, before turning her attention from the sky towards the crowd. As always, they erupted in loud cheers for both sides, and players could be seen making bets on which team would win, to CC Corp.'s displeasure. She slowly scanned for any familiar faces within the crowd, instantly catching sight of Silibus and Gaspard, deep in conversation with some cocky-looking red headed girl. Alkaid, was it…? Whoever it was, she seemed like a tough foe either way. Her posture gave that air about her.

Looking down a few sets, and to the right, Eon saw Aqua starring straight at her from her usual spot. The Macabre Dancer stood with her arms crossed strongly, yet her legs braced, as if she feared an attack of some kind. Eon had to look elsewhere after a matter of seconds within her gaze. It was worse than a cat's; never blinking, and always contemplating something that couldn't be seen. Eon quickly scanned the crowd to Aqua's right, noticing Kuroha hugging tightly onto the purple-haired member of Crystal Seraphim, and the Trump Joker known as Koji. They all stood behind the main line up of cheering parrots at the rail; obviously they had not been noticed, or they'd have been hounded with questions and invitations by now.

_So half of their team's here…_ Eon thought coldly, as her gaze moved on. Without seeing any more Crystal Seraphim members, she looked to the left. No one caught her interest until she caught sight of Pi's pink hair, and then Kuhn's blue ponytail next to her. Haseo was quietly speaking to Kuhn, every so often surveying the progressing battle below him before continuing; possibly with a new topic.

Eon raised an eyebrow in the real world. Until now, she never caught sight of them in their arena matches; not together, at least. She could smell an interrogation of some sort later…lovely…

She managed to catch sight of a few more familiar faces, before vision suddenly swayed in her M2D, as her character instantly stood up from its kneeling position. Eon made no effort to thank Axel openly, though gave him a small nod of appreciation as Hikaru sent a strong Pha-Repth spell flying her way.

That was the funny thing about Hikaru's new character; he could use _Harvest Cleric_ healing spells. Things that couldn't be bought in shops…as if he was a Holy Paladin or something…

Over half of Eon's hit points had returned to her now, though just barely. Without a second though, the beast-like girl flung herself at the only remaining opponent; an oddly nimble Blade Brandier. Eon couldn't help but smirk as her claws locked with the Brandier's thin blade, and both of them attempted to push the other back; to gain the advantage they needed to defeat the other one. It was obvious by now that the Brandier couldn't stand up to their team's combined might, but he didn't give up if he noticed it. Apparently, taking down one of them with him was better than just surrendering against bad odds.

Eon gave an amused, cat-like grin, as she easily hopped away from the Brandier, only for him to desperately slice at her horizontally with his blade. Taking the advice of an extremely old videogame that she played before, Eon flipped her feet down, kicked off of the floor, and landed on the flat of the sword, just as it reached an inch from where her torso had previously been. She stood on it with perfect balance.

Eon gave a mocking wave to the shocked man, as Hikaru finally released his pro-longed healing spell; completely filling in the rest of her hit points. Axel whistled loudly, as Eon's golden eyes slit dangerously, and her grin gained wolf-like features. She didn't prolong his death. Before he knew what had happened, Eon was behind him; small embers trailing towards the red moon in her wake, and her left claw outstretched; it had obviously pierced straight through him.

"All right Eon!" Axel cheered enthusiastically, as all of the members of the opposition party vanished from the field in an eerie orange-grey light. "You pulled off a Dark Link!"

Eon allowed herself a broad, wolfish grin.

"Did you like it?" She asked, placing down her controller, and stretching her hands before herself until they cracked loudly. "I've been working on it for a while now."

"_Duh!_" Axel chirped, as Eon allowed her eyes to stray back into the audience. "It takes _guts_ to pull off something like that just after a death—what're you lookin' at…?"

"Crystal Seraphim left." Eon murmured in interest, though more to herself than the Twin Blade or their tall companion. _Well of course they're gone_! She told herself mentally. _If they stayed, they'd NEVER get outta here in one piece with all their fans!_

Axel cocked his head to one side. By his expression, Eon could tell that neither he nor Hikaru had noticed their silent enemy-watchers.

"Crystal Seraphim was—" Axel asked, but Eon merely gave him a shrug with her shoulder blades before he could finish. She knew that she saw them. Axel furrowed his eyebrows in thought, before Eon gave a small sigh, and explained why they left so early.

"They've been here every match since yesterday." Eon added slowly, "Them, and a few more players as well…"

"Like…?" Hikaru asked, more curiously than anything.

"Mmm…" Eon mumbled as she looked up the crowd; slowly scanning for the faces she had seen just before their opponent's defeat. Most had vanished, including their G.U. 'companions', though one remained. "Him." She said simply, angling her head towards five rows from the top, and seven rows to the left.

Axel squinted and mocked shading his eyes in the dark server, before spotting the character Eon had pointed out, standing right next to the left separator. He was tall and extremely pale, wearing a forest-green leather jacket with black accents around his neck, arms, and waist, as well as black, baggy pants with '火' on his left leg, and '暗闇' on his right. His right sleeve was cut at the elbow, with the arm taped to as far as they could see. A strong-looking vambrace, complete with claws, rested on his left arm; both arms crossed, and his face intently looking down at them, obviously interested in the match. By his build, he seemed to be a Blade Brandier, though with no weapon out, it was hard to tell; their only evidence was a sheath to his left side.

"He's been at _all_ of our matches." Eon said carelessly, as she crossed her arms in a similar fashion to their stranger, before shutting her eyes and stretching once more in the real world. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Hikaru and Axel both staring at her with strange, confused expressions on their faces. Eon flinched back an inch instinctively, before glaring at them.

"What?!" She demanded.

"Are you _sure_ you're half blind?" Axel asked, sticking his finger to his mouth as Eon's ears flattened threateningly, and she bared her canine-like fangs at him. "Because, you know…even _we_ didn't notice that guy—" Before Axel could finish his statement, Eon was in front of him, leaning low, before elbowing him hard in the stomach. The Twin Blade doubled over as he lost a good chunk of his remaining hit points, before looking up at the Seraphim with large eyes.

"What was _that _for…?" He asked with his ever-so-famous 'kitty look'.

"Hrmph." Eon growled, before glaring back up at the possible Brandier.

His hair seemed to be a dark red with lighter highlights, though hard to see with the ever-changing aurora. Just as she was about to look away, their eyes made contact, before she could see a large smile crawl onto his face.

_What's HE smiling about…?_ Eon wondered, still in a half-pout, before he suddenly began to wave enthusiastically down to her; a large, full-hearted smile on his face as he did so.

The Seraphim's breath stayed in her chest for a long moment, in shock, as she watched him wave to her.

_What's UP with him?! _Eon demanded mentally, as she starred at the Brandier in awe for his courage. She didn't even _know_ the guy, yet he acted as if they'd known each other for years. Who _was _he…?

Her hand twitched to her side as she contemplated on what would happen if she waved back, before quickly being interrupted by the 'Spoils Screen'.

_Gained:_

"_-2 Healing Potions_

_-Ol Repth Scroll_

_-710 GP"_

Eon made a face at the pathetic gains, before the WP screen popped up after it with a 'plink'. As expected, they received a penalty for her Death and the 'Revival Medicine', but to her surprise, they gained most of it back with the speed of their victories.

_Nice…_ She thought, nodding to Axel with a small grin. He noticed their gains as well. _This'll put us up to rank twelve…no, eleven!_ She noticed giddily, as their PC bodies were suddenly surrounded in bright, spiralling blue light, and transferred from the Arena floor. She shut her eyes as the light flashed to its blinding peak, and smiled to herself in the real world. If this was what they gained from just _one_ set of fights today…what would happen if they fought just two more sets…?

When she opened her eyes, they were standing just a few steps from the green teleportation orb to the left of the Arena Registration Counter; Pi, Kuhn, and Haseo watching them silently.

Eon's heart skipped a beat. She put on her best uncaring expression as she attempted to pass them. Unfortunately though, the Tribal Grappler grabbed her wrist hard, and yanked her so they were face to face; Pi leaning down a bit to see her eyes clearly under Eon's unruly bangs.

"We need to talk." She said simply, before towing the dog-girl towards the wide steps; Haseo and Kuhn half-herding Hikaru and Axel as well.

Eon made a small 'fhh' sound as she found that the Grappler wouldn't let go of the death grip on her arm so easily, and soon after followed wordlessly. She didn't know what this was about (not that she wanted to), but knew that it'd be better to go without a fight. She couldn't hide a small snicker though, when Axel mentioned to Haseo that it was rude to ask for a date in such a fashion.

Once the six of them reached the Warp Panel, Pi turned to Eon and slowly released her grip.

"We'll be going to Mac Anu, understood?" She asked, not trusting the dog-girl to obey her, "Once there, we'll be going to Raven…do you still have your key?" She questioned, only to meet Eon's lazy shrug. The Tribal Grappler glared at her harshly, and repeated the question once more with twice the force, only to have Eon thrust the card in front of her nose.

"Is this it?!" The wolf-child spat sarcastically, before turning to the Warp Panel, and transferring to Mac Anu.

She wouldn't make it easy for them, if they really _were_ trying to make her change her mind about G.U…

-

--The Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore--

-

The sight greeting them in The Serpent of Lore truly shocked Eon, as she starred at twenty-odd faces watching their arrival almost hungrily. She narrowed her eyes slightly, before hearing Axel gasp deeply.

"Gabi!" He called loudly to his lion-like Guild Master.

The tall, tan-coloured beastman gave the broad grin that he was famous for, and waved to Axel in greeting. Obviously, he didn't find it odd to be addressed by a subordinate in such a way…

"Axel!" He called back cheerfully.

"Gabiii!"

"Axelllll!"

"_Gabi!_"

"_Axel!_"

"_GAB—UGH!!"_ Axel gagged, as Eon easily hit him in the gut with her shin, before turning back towards the large party of people.

Some of the faces were familiar, mainly being the Epitaph Users, all present, and Icolo, from the various screens she'd seen in previous tournaments. Others included some Kestrel members, such as Gabi, now wearing a confused expression as to who would willingly hit such a strong PKer like Axel, and some of the higher-ranking Moon Tree members, sticking to the opposite side of the room; obviously staying as far away from Kestrel as they possibly could.

A few new faces showed themselves to Eon, though mostly from the people that she couldn't recognise…and that of four strangely high-postured players next to Yata.

_Admin's_…Eon thought sickly, flicking her nose up in disgust for a moment, before looking away from them. If they noticed her do so, they said nothing about it.

Axel slowly stood back up with a wince, even though Eon doubted that he felt any pain at all, not being in an AIDA Server or fighting, and then looked around like herself and Hikaru.

"So…you having a party or something, Yata…?" He asked, sticking his hands into two of the many pockets located in his pants.

Yata rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, before looking down at them from his high position on his lotus flower-like platform.

"No, Axel," he said slowly, eyes in a bored expression, though both Eon and Axel could tell that he was annoyed. "If you were to have read one of the _seven_ short mails that I have sent you today, you would have _known_ about this meeting here, today…though unfortunately, not all are present as I would have hoped…"

Eon cocked her head slightly, before leaning back on her heels for a moment, and crossing her arms before her strongly. She gave them all as strong of a look of defiance that she could muster, before suddenly speaking to Yata.

"So what _are_ they all here for then, Yata?" She asked, narrowing her golden eyes as she did so, giving him and his surrounding party the hint that she knew nothing of this. "When I first heard of 'G.U.', it sounded more like the _secret_ type of Guild, not a socialable one…and if this isn't a party, then I presume it isn't very good for _us_ three…"

Though it was light, Eon could hear the slight sigh come from inside Yata's throat.

_So it ISN'T good after all…_ She thought tiredly, forcing herself to stand as tall as possible; even her body in the real world sat at higher posture than normal.

Yata rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment yet again, as he thought about how to answer her question. She obviously wasn't going to make this easy for him, and he understood that fully. At last, he decided to be blunt and truthful. If she didn't like it, (as he knew she wouldn't) then she would just have to toughen up.

"If you look around yourself, I can presume that you will be able to recognise at least half of the faces in here. Gabi, of Kestrel, and Zelkova from Moon Tree…even our Epitaph Users are all present here, today." He started calmly, though his eyes held hers evenly. Now it was a battle of attrition; the first one out of new moves lost. He took a small breath before continuing, keeping in mind his wording for the child. "Putting these new faces aside for the moment, it has come to my attention by the unfortunate events of two days ago, and possibly even earlier than that, that Team Crystal Seraphim and their Guild, Hades, can not be left alone with their now-proven possession of AIDA Explicants." He paused, but began to speak instantly when he saw her eyes gain a deadly, red-gold glare to them. "Therefore, considering the circumstances behind the only known way to eradicate an AIDA Explicant, we of G.U. and of CC Corporations,"--he motioned the four Administrator PC Bodies to his side--"have decided to put your personal safety into our top priority. Where we can not stop you from playing The World, especially with the possibility of needing your assistance with an Explicant, we _can_ place you in the protection of other powerful players; to wear off the possible threat of being targeted by other AIDA-infected players, or simply PK—or PKKers." He added, looking at Axel sharply, as he seemed to show the same amount of hate in his eyes as Eon. Hikaru remained still and silent, as he expected, though his face seemed to be slightly troubled and thinking.

Judging by the expressions on all of the faces in the room, Eon could safely presume that they all knew about G.U. and its functions, especially after hearing Yata say it outright with not so much as a blink. They all grinned at the three of them as if they thought that they couldn't protect themselves from the 'evils' of The World. Eon couldn't help but squeeze her hand into a tight fist on her desk in the real world, scrapping her nails against it as she did so. Who were they to even _presume_ that about themselves?!

"You won't have to worry about a thing with any of us Icolo around," a short, red-headed character said as she stepped away from her Guildmates. She was the same person that Eon spied talking to Silibus and Gaspard in the Arena; Alkaid, former Demon Palace Arena champion, before Endrance…then Haseo. "We'll make sure no one messes you up!" She promised cockily, a wolfish grin on her face.

"Heh, you really gonna trust her?" A dark-skinned player asked, standing near Gabi. There were two other players next to her, one tall and very large; an Edge Punisher. The other was thin with green hair, and stood as if he were a zombie of some sort; leaning over so his hands nearly hit the ground. Her own character name read 'Bordeaux'; obviously she was a part of Kestrel.

She grinned wickedly over to Alkaid for a moment, before turning back to the three of them; mostly towards Axel and Hikaru than Eon.

"She wouldn't last a minute against a PKK." She declared, shrugging, only to have Alkaid instantly spit back an insult to her past-PKer.

As the two of them began to argue just how useful they'd be as guards, Zelkova stepped forward, Kaede at his feet.

"Hello!" He greeted cheerfully, and made a deep bow as a child might do. "It's good to meet you all, Guardian Masters!"

"Yes." Kaede said simply, before her and her child-like master moved aside to allow their allies to nod or show their respect. There were only three players with them. One of them was the ever-so-famous, past-PKer, Matsu, who gave a large grin and an easy two-fingered solute, before listening in on Alkaid and Bordeaux's heated argument. 'Hiiragi' as his…or her character name read, nodded to them and said something, but Eon didn't pay attention, as she looked to the final Moon Tree member, 'Saphora', by her name. She only nodded, before looking away, and concentrating on the wall.

Gabi said a few words as well, but Eon ignored him as she noticed Axel's PC body slowly becoming more and more tense. Before she could say a thing, she heard Axel slam his fist onto the desk hard through his mic. He glared at everyone, even Gabi, with slit, green eyes, and clenched his teeth together hard, as if trying to force himself _not_ to introduce them to his colourful language. Everyone looked up from their conversations, even Bordeaux and Alkaid, before he spoke.

"Do you _really_ think that we'll agree to this…?" He questioned slowly, looking at each and every face, as if Ginryuu was glaring with him. "Do you _really_ think that we'd _allow_ you to do this to us?!" He demanded, and there was another slam. Hikaru's PC body went completely still, as he tried to calm Axel down in the real world, but the Twin Blade continued. "How _dare_ you think of us as nothing more than weaklings! I'm one of the _top_ PKer's in Kestrel, and Hikki here has enough defence points to outlast the One Sin!" He yelled, everyone focused on him, and unmoving. "And Eon here!" He shouted now, before motioning to her widely, "She outlasted one of the _hardest_ teams in the Warrior Palace Tournament Ranking _alone_ not too long ago! How can you all even _think_ that we need your help defending ourselves! In some cases, we're probably even better off _without_ you! Who _doesn't_ wanna kill a Moon Tree member, or try their luck on one or two Icolo's?!" Axel demanded, before shutting his mouth and twisting it strangely, as quiet swears could be heard away from the mic. Eon could hear them from next door herself. He was ticked…and for good reason too.

"Axel, you're taking this the wrong way…" Pi stated, taking a step away from the other Epitaph Users as she did so. "With more people in your group, it will be less likely that you will be attacked by Crystal Seraphim, or at least last longer if you were to be attacked again. That would give us more time to get to you if there really _was_ a problem."

"And if we're _not_ attacked again?!" He demanded, slit eyes turning their blaze towards her at full blast. "Then what?! We'll have wasted who knows _how_ much time with people we don't even _want_ to know! Not to mention the Tournament…"

"About the Tournament…" Yata said, cutting him off and looking at them from over the rim of his glasses. "Almost everyone here today has a Team within the ranking already. There's no point for you to continue on, especially if we'll be needing you for the finals against Team Crystal Seraphim." He explained, "Why put yourselves in danger, when you'll be battling them anyway?"

"Why…?" Eon asked coldly. "Why _else_, Yata? Because we want to beat them too. We _won't_ rely on you guys _or_ your strength to take them down. We'll get them ourselves, _without_ your help."

She crossed her arms smugly, believing she made a good point, before Yata slowly shook his head, and an Admin by the name of 'Enforcer' stepped forward. (What an _original_ name for an Admin…) He wore police-officer-blue armour, and a large burette, similar to Atoli's, in a paler shade of blue. He had the same tall character-model as the other Admins, and no distinguishing marks on his skin as other plays normally had. His hair was chocolate-brown and semi-long, straight with a few curled bangs at the end. Eon couldn't tell his character class, but she presumed it wasn't a Brandier with no sheath present…maybe a Steam Gunner…? Who knows…

"That is where you are wrong though, Player 'Eon'." The tall man said calmly, his sky-blue eyes seeming to look straight through her. "This _isn't_ something that you can do alone." With that, he turned slightly to face Yata, before the Macabre Dancer waved his hand over the floating sphere, and a large, transparent monitor appeared before everyone. Heads and bodies turned in sync, as a large, pixelated image appeared on the blue screen. It was slightly tinted in blue-green, and seemed to be taken in a large cave-dungeon. It was difficult to see with the large, magnified lines on the screen, but the main focus of the picture seemed to be a large, blobby-black image, with what _appeared_ to be Haseo in front of it.

Eon had to squint to see what he meant by the image, only for her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock as she looked at it. The black thing wasn't a blob at all, but a large, AIDA-like beast, beginning to engage battle with Haseo, the moment before they'd be lost into the seemingly impenetrable Cyberspace. It wasn't the AIDA that surprised her though; it was the shape of the AIDA. Long horns stuck out of the barrage of AIDA bubbles, and three tails could be seen whipped out of the black mess. It's purple-black, translucent body showed great eyes, filled with mediocre intelligence, and detest for the Epitaph User.

It was Capricorn; an AIDA Explicant. The Explicant that Eon and Shiruba themselves had Data Drained…back against the 'Terror of Death', as it despised so much before.

"By the look on your face, I'd presume that you've already figured out just what that is…" Enforcer said coolly, knowing how to hit her, and hit her hard. "This just goes to show one of the differences between an Avatar and your Guardians. Though they _can_ Data Drain, it has no effect on Explicants. This one…'Capricorn', I believe, appeared only a day ago, and sent four other players out of this World as Lost Ones…just as you once were, am I not correct…?"

Eon's stomach churned. She didn't look at him; her eyes were still glued to the screen, though she could feel pair after pair of eyes set themselves onto her slowly. The term 'Lost Ones' was not new. It'd been around for about eight to nine years, if Eon was correct. When Players mysteriously vanished from The World, and ended up being in a Coma in the real world; that was a 'Lost One'. Admins were normally charged to clean up the posts on the Forums, but they could never clean up what other players already knew, and the gossip they could pass around so easily. Eon swallowed with difficulty, as she slowly pried her eyes down, and onto Enforcer. She felt sick just to look at him; full of humiliation, anger, and guilt the most. He _used_ this against her, without even her knowledge of such a thing _existing_ before hand…it was cruel, but she knew the reality of it. He _wanted_ her to feel the guilt she now had. Whether those numbers were true or not, or even the image in itself, Eon couldn't help herself from feeling _some_ tang of feeling towards what _could_ happen to other players, if this really _was_ true.

_Shiruba…_ Eon asked silently, her eyes not budging from Enforcer. _Is that true…?_

There was a long silence, as all the beast-like Guardian did was breathe in and out slowly. Eon could sense her hesitation, and her guilt. After what seemed like an hour of waiting, the hound spoke.

_Yes, it is._ She said simply, though as if not even speaking to Eon, but to herself instead. _Yes…we can not truly Data Drain an Explicant…_

Eon was unfazed by the answer, seeing as the evidence was right before them, but Shiruba continued on.

_We can not Data Drain to destroy Explicants like an Avatar, Eon, but we CAN Data Drain to break them up, and weaken them._ She explained curtly, and with a small growl in the throat. _As 'Sir Blue' over there said, it is a difference we have from Avatars, but at the same time, they cannot truly even begin understand just how important our 'Data Drain' can be. If we Data Crack an Explicant, and THEN Data Drain it, we break its body, consciousness, and the connection to its Master away from each other, and it becomes split into fragments. Those fragments will not stay away from each other forever, like Capricorn up there, but when it DOES return to each other, it can no longer create an Explicant's impenetrable shield, nor can it combine with another consciousness ever again. They can not even be considered Explicants without those two factors. They have their brain, but even an Avatar can now Data Drain them, and destroy them with the same amount of trouble as a normal lesser-AIDA._

It was then that Eon noticed Axel and Hikaru listening just as intently as she was. Shiruba had explained it to all of them, to her relief; now she wouldn't have to attempt to explain it to _them_ at least…

"That so…" Axel muttered with interest, though his eyes remained half closed, giving an him an almost bored look. He slowly stretched his arms around, closing his eyes as he did so, before suddenly punching his right fist into his left palm. He opened his eyes, blindly staring forward, as if there was something at Enforcer's feet. "Then that solves our problems anyway," He stated in an unnervingly calm way. He looked up to Enforcer, then to Yata with that same, semi-bored look, before allowing a small, half-hearted smile onto his face.

"You thought you got us there, didn't ya, Baldy, Blue's Clue." His green eyes slowly narrowed, before his canines entered his grin. "Too bad our Guardians say it differently than that…"

It was hard to notice, but Eon managed to see the slight bob of shock that came from Enforcer, though Yata seemed unfazed by Axel's comment; he must've been used to it from all his time in G.U.

"What do you mean…?" Enforcer asked lightly, trying to keep his edge, though they already knew that it was gone.

"Just what I said," Axel answered coldly. "There's a totally different story to _our _Data Drains."

"A different story?" Another Admin scoffed. He was an inch or two taller than Enforcer, wearing pale-green instead of blue, though their character designs were the exact same. His burette covered almost all of his short, silver-blonde hair, and piercing auburn eyes glared at them stubbornly; he didn't believe in the connection to their Guardians; all three of them could tell. A small, blue-violet triangle marking was under his left eye, turning a pale blue every time his expression flinched or changed. TehAdmin was his name.

"How can there _possibly_ be another story?!" He demanded harshly. "Do you _expect _us to believe that there could _possibly _be a different reason to purposely postpone these Monsters' demise?!"

Eon couldn't help but make a cold, disbelieving grin in the real world; eyes full of distaste for the new Admin. This guy was some piece of work, considering what sort of things CC Corp. Admins must see every day; the reports they receive, and the Forum posts they need to delete. To _not_ believe in their Guardians, to her at least, was like not believing in _air._

"Oh…?" Axel murmured coldly, his green eyes flashing again. "Wanna prove it, Leprechaun?!"

"Axel, please…" Hikaru murmured quietly, trying to calm down his shorter companion. "Let's just explain what Ginryuu told us…"

_Ginryuu…?_ Eon wondered, narrowing her eyes in slight suspicion, before hearing the familiar 'bing' of a Short Mail. She opened it hesitantly, before noticing Hikaru himself had sent it to her.

_**I apologize for not warning you of Capricorn sooner.**_

Eon made a small grunt in her throat in the real world, too light to hear in the microphone, and continued to read.

_**We did not have the time to explain what Ginryuu explained to us earlier, but Shiruba seems to have done a better job explaining then we could have. I hope we will have more time in the future to discuss this matter…but as for now, please leave, before Axel says anything that may upset you.**_

Eon cocked her eyebrows in confusion, and looked up to Hikaru slightly, but the knight only shook his head, and nodded towards the door. The wolf-girl twisted her mouth in uncertainty; even though she wanted to leave more than anyone else, she wasn't sure if she _could_. Besides…_upset? _What did he mean by_ that?!_ Just what were they hiding from her…?

"Please, go. We will tell you how things turn out." Hikaru insisted, and with that, he turned his back to her, and Axel did the same.

Curiosity welled up inside of Eon instantly, but she knew that she had been dismissed, even if Yata and the other Admins didn't like it.

Making a small, two fingered solute to the higher-ups, Eon turned on heel, and exited the Serpent of Lore without hesitation. It wasn't her place to argue with such loyal friends.

-

--The Warring City: Lumina Cloth--

-

The Warring City was the only place that Eon could think to go, other than just plainly Logging Out. There were enough people here to hide in the crowds if someone really _did_ decide to follow her, and more than enough things to do to keep her occupied until the meeting in the Serpent of Lore was over.

She stepped calmly from the Warp Panel, and headed straight for the Registration Counter on impulse. It didn't take long to reach it at her walking pace, but considerably longer than the other Players, running to and fro randomly. At times, she wondered if they even _were_ players, and not just NPCs…

Instantly, the Registration NPC spoke to Eon, and asked what she wanted to do. She was about to select 'Survival Match' battle, before noticing the current line up for it.

She groaned inwardly, seeing the long list of names and teams. Twelve or so teams were lined up to begin their fights in a couple of minutes; enough teams to take up the Warrior Palace Arena for at _least _a half hour. Someone was even cocky enough to enter solo, like she was about to do.

"Forget about that…" Eon muttered darkly, twisting her mouth in a dissatisfied way. "Should've fought while I had the chance…"

She groaned aloud, and tossed her head back to look at the dark sky above through her thick bangs. She should have known that people would want to get in some last-minute WP Points. How _else_ would they be able to get in?! The Ranking for both sides seemed to be untouchable to most teams by now, but some high rankers, Team Shinigami included, might be able to pull off a miracle if they fought hard enough, or won enough battles…

Eon took a deep breath, and blew it out her nose before brushing her bangs up with her hand.

_Well,_ she thought a little tiredly, _better not waste the trip…_

Eon lowered her head slightly to see the light green Warp Panel leading to the viewing area with her left eye. She tightened her lips together in thought, before deciding it'd be better to stay in The World, in case Axel and Hikaru finished in the Serpent of Lore earlier than expected. She could always Log Out if Yata kept them _that_ late…

Thus, Eon casually sauntered towards the large, green orb, and selected an area at random, before quickly teleporting to the giant, grey stands, overlooking the Arena.

-

--The Warrior Palace: Viewing Area B-16--

-

There weren't many spots left for a half-blind, short-built player like Eon. She growled irritably in her throat before finally finding a spot semi-clear of players, next to a large separator to her left.

"This sucks…" Eon muttered coldly to herself, as most of her line of vision was instantly cut off by the large piece of cement-data.

She crossed her arms loosely over her chest, and glared down at the match, now finishing with some team by the name of 'Sorel' as the victors. They pranced around like they owned the Arena, and cockily shot their arms up in the air, declaring themselves already the victors of the next match.

Eon scowled at them coldly. She _hated_ cocky teams like them. It was their type of team that she liked to take out in the Arena the most. Teams that could _never_ truly work together, as she, Axel, and Hikaru could do so well themselves. A team that would need all six players to put up a decent fight…if that…

"_And it looks like Team Sorel is the victor for round three! Congratulations Team Sorel, in your victory over Team Flare Blitz!"_ The announcer yelled into his microphone, one hand sprawled on his desk, the other holding the mic. _"And now we've got a treat here today, folks!"_ He chirped, eyes almost bulging with anticipation._ "After making the A-Stream Ranking, a famous challenger reappears! Let's hear it for his welcome, everyone! Now, entering the Arena after achieving SECOND Rank in the A-Stream, the one, the only, ADO!"_

Cheers erupted so loudly around Eon that she had to cover her ears in the real world, or risk partial deftness for the rest of the night. People hooted, and others whistled loudly from their mics in the real world, while bouncing up and down wildly.

_What're they cheering for?!_ She demanded mentally, slowly lifting her hands from her ears as the cheering died down to its normal level. She turned herself ninety degrees, and twisted her head to look at the nearest fan to her, about twenty feet away; slowly following his eyes towards the platform the newest team would appear on.

_A team…?_ She thought, mentally kicking herself for not getting it. She turned herself once more so the separator was cutting off most of her line of vision, but not enough to miss the platform as spiralling light suddenly appeared. She had to squint her eyes a bit for a better view of the new team appearing, only to bounce a bit in shock, recognising the player that appeared.

His red hair waved a bit with the 'wind' of the Arena, and he stood casually; his black eyes slowly scanning each and every one of the enemy's faces. His arms were crossed over one another, showing his shining Vambrace, and he seemed to lean back a bit, slightly bored. He slowly blinked, lightly cocking his head to the side as one of his opposition began to trash talk to him, before smiling cheerfully; not bothering to answer the player in a similar fashion.

"Idiots…" She murmured coldly, wondering why such a high ranking team like Ado's (as his name read on the large screen behind the fighting area) would even _want_ to fight such weak teams…nonetheless _alone._ She slightly narrowed her eyes, tiredly, wondering just _how_ strong this stranger was, before the sound of a buzzer rang for the fight to begin, and three Edge Punishers raced toward Ado at full speed; seemingly underestimating their higher-ranking foe.

Eon watched as carefully as she could without moving from her spot, though bits and pieces of his movement was too hard for her to pick up without her full left eye's view. All that she knew was, one second they were all about to attack at once…and the next, they all flew towards the bright blue barrier, as if weighing nothing more than a pound.

Her hand twitched on the railing, and she furrowed her eyebrows in question, though knew that it'd be unwise to move from where she was. Saying that there _was_ an open spot for this match, the chances of being seen by someone, and being hounded with questions and invitations was something she _didn't_ want to deal with today. She stayed put; watching in full interest as the red-haired warrior casually lowered his right arm, holding a long blade, slightly curved at the end like a Japanese Katana.

He had hit them with the butt of the blade.

-

--The Eternal City: Mac Anu: The Serpent of Lore--

-

"Then it is an agreement," a tall Admin said calmly; both hands lightly grasped behind his back, as if a sign of authority. "_If_ you can complete the Ranking for the Warrior Palace Tournament, then you may enter…on the condition that you do not face Team Crystal Seraphim within this time, and honour your agreement to go around The World--other than Root Towns--with at least one other player."

Axel scowled at Justice, but the forest-green clad Admin only accepted his look openly. His black eyes watched Axel calmly, and acceptingly. Out of all four of the Admins here, he seemed to be the most reasonable and understanding at least…

He wore the same generic armour as the other Admins, and was an inch shorter than 'CCcronie'. His hair was a light-to-dirty blonde, and unlike the other Admins, or most characters in The World for that matter, he had a moustache, leading to some short sideburns and a small, scruffy beard on his chin. His build was broader than the other three Admins, though not by much, and his ears were slightly pointed.

"Is that the agreement then…?" He questioned, not harshly, but to make sure there was understanding on both sides.

Axel held his breath for a moment, slightly looking over to Hikaru, next to him in the real world, before allowing his character to nod slowly.

"Yeah…I guess…" He murmured solemnly, resisting the urge to break something. The only reason he stayed behind was to try to reason with them _not_ to give themselves 'guards'…but that had obviously failed, seeing how twenty minutes had already passed, and not a _single_ thing they'd said in argument seemed to work in their favour…especially not with the old Admin…

"We will have to tell Eon…" Hikaru pointed out quietly to Axel, looking slightly troubled. He too, was hoping this would have worked in their favour without the hot-headed child.

"Yeah…" Axel muttered back, kicking the ground with the sole of his foot silently. "She won't like it…"

"We will make preparations for her to gain everyone's Member's Address that was here today, and the others that could not make it here…all you need to do is tell her the news." Justice promised, slowly releasing his hands from behind his back and holding them to his sides.

"Lucky us…" Axel said sarcastically, eyes half closed as he imagined just _what_ the dog-girl might do to them after finding out their fate for the next few weeks…

Justice smiled as the various famous faces from around The World began to leave after giving Axel and Hikaru their Member's Addresses.

"One more thing…" He said quickly, before Axel and Hikaru could leave themselves.

"Hm?" Axel slowly looked over his shoulder at the tall Admin. "What?"

Justice hesitated for a moment, before finally speaking.

"I…think it is best if you do not mention one of our…arguments to Eon." He started, choosing his words carefully.

"Why not…?" Hikaru asked, one blue eye half open, and looking at the green Admin.

"Which one?" Axel asked, curiously. Why couldn't they tell Eon what they'd said in here…?

"Mrn…" Justice tightened his lips, before closing his eyes, as if a moment of mediation, and speaking.

"You cannot tell her of Ovan. It will ruin our agreement, and make her twice as likely to do something foolish, I assure you." He said curtly.

Axel turned his head to the side, and gave him a confused look.

"Why can't we tell her about Ovan? Didn't he get ridda the AIDA before? Isn't that kinda _important_?" He questioned.

"It is important," Justice agreed, "but all the same, you can not tell her."

"Why not?" Hikaru asked again.

All of four of the Admins in the room looked solemn and shifted restlessly; drawing the attention of the seven remaining Epitaph Users.

"Because," said Justice at last. "Because Ovan was the one that PKed her, and sent her out of this World as a Lost One, just over four months ago…"

-

--The Warrior Palace Tournament: Arena Floor--

-

"You're going to lose." Ado said calmly. His blade was held loosely in his right hand, and he stood heavy on his left leg, noting the six new competitors surrounding him from the back, sides, and front. "I _cannot_ be taken down by individual players like yourselves…" He said with an air of coolness.

Ado smirked as two of the players lunged forward, then moved.

Before anyone, in the arena or the stands, realized what happened, Ado appeared behind an Edge Punisher, casually twirled his blade over his head, and stabbed the player through the back. One down.

"As I was saying..." Ado smiled contentedly as the remaining five players flinched explosively, reacting in shock to the sudden burst of speed that Ado had displayed.

"You cannot win…"

"W-we'll see about that!" A tall Shadow Warlock announced before quickly beginning to cast a powerful spell. His companions instantly stepped from Ado's front to protect him, and the remaining two on his sides lunged at the Brandier as fast as they could.

Ado made a small, unamused sigh, before easily hitting the nearer of the two with the back of his blade, and then flinging him into the sky, only to drop onto the second player comically.

Groans could be heard from the two players as the audience burst into hysterical laughter. Apparently, Ado was well known for these sorts of 'Battle Tactics'…

"Give up…?" Ado asked yet again, leisurely stepping towards the Shadow Warlock and his remaining two companions.

"Never!" the Warlock announced, finally sending out his prolonged spell. The small red circles tracked their way under the feet of his two companions, and flew straight at Ado with deadly speed. The Shadow Warlock, Chewbacca, could feel the anticipation all over her body. He did it! The spell would hit, and he would finally _kill_ the 'invincible' Ado! He shook with delight and anticipation.

Only three seconds to go…

The Brandier did not move.

Two…

His eyes trialed from the Warlock to the spell, suddenly taking in the threat…

One…

His eyes narrowed…he knew he could not escape…

_Zero…_

The spell exploded into a hurricane of fireballs, all raining down on Ado at once, throwing up a huge cloud of dust into their eyes with the impact of the cold, hard floor.

"_YES!_" The Shadow Warlock howled in victory. "We _win_!"

Howls could be heard from the crowd as the smoke slowly began to clear for everyone to see…

-

Eon's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, before her dog-like ears flattened backwards. Without even noticing, a low growl arose from the inside of her throat as she watched the smoke clear from below. Her hand clenched the side railing so hard, that a loud crackle of metal could be heard, though Eon didn't notice it as well; she was too busy looking down below.

"Why…him…!" She growled, barely able to contain herself any longer. Her claws itched on the rail as she glared down to the still-clearing smoke.

Her eyes flashed a deadly gold glare down at the team below, before straying from the smoke to behind the players.

"It missed…" She murmured coldly, remembering the small, red spiral of light. "He cheated…it missed…" She repeated, clenching her teeth together hard.

-

"_We WIN!!_" Chewbacca howled to the crowd once more. "_WE—_"He began, only to hear the unsheathing of a thin blade.

He turned as quickly as his PC body would allow him, but it was already too late; a thin, metal blade was already pressed to his neck, and his allies already lay dead on the floor…

"B-but…how?!" He demanded, but the Blade Brandier did not answer. His black eyes were emotionless, even for a game, and he showed no hint of mercy from his stance.

"P-please…!" Chewbacca begged, but it was too late. The Brandier pushed his blade with all of his power, instantly beheading the cocky Warlock.

He stood there, holding the hilt of his sword easily as his eyes surveyed the ground his opponent's body would have fallen, if it were not just a computer program…

"I told you…" He said quietly, as the first cheers permeated the shocked air around him. "I told you, no individual player like you can defeat me…"

Cheers illuminated the air within the arena, echoing so fiercely that it seemed as if the entire server was within the real world. Ado closed his eyes calmly and twirled his sword expertly, before sheathing it at his side, instantly making the blade vanish. More cheers arose from the crowd as he turned toward the bulk of the audience, and opened his eyes again casually. He began to easily survey all of the faces within the crowd, looking from left to right in the arena stands. His eyes did not stop moving until they fell upon a familiar short player, glaring down at him in full resentment.

"Hmm…?" Ado looked up at the wolf-like child with a confused expression, drawing faces from the crowd to look at her as well.

_What is she doing in MY spot…?_ He wondered, cocking an eyebrow in the real world.

-

Eon had trouble hiding the anger on her face; even her PC body was showing signs of it.

_I gotta go…_ She thought quickly, noticing the curious looks around her. _NOW…_

With a quick flick of her tail to the closest player, she span on the spot and headed towards the large green orb; ignoring all of the blank and curious stares behind her.

_Let them think I'm 'jealous'… _She thought. _Who cares what they think…_ Eon reasoned with herself. _He's a cheater, whether they saw it or not…_

And with that, the beast girl left the Arena stands.

-

Ado crossed his arms silently and watched her stalk off.

"What's with her?" He asked himself, before the Spoils Screen interrupted him. After taking a careful look at his useless earnings, the Blade Brandier easily allowed himself to be teleported outside of the Arena. Once out, he took one careful glance around, to avoid any of his 'fans', before quickly stepping down the stairs and up to the large Warp Panel.

"Saal Haku should do…" Ado muttered to himself, before punching in the coordinates and transferring away.

-

--Epsilon: Southern Caller's Hawk--

-

The field was a large desert area, stretching from horizon to horizon. Few plants were scattered here and there, and the open blue sky towered above enormous cliffs, climbing up thousands of feet into the air. The ground was covered in milliards of cracks from the merciless sun, and no water could bee seen in the area at all. There wasn't a single cloud to be spotted in the sky, and only the high-pitched scream of a player could be heard echoing throughout area.

"_Hah hah hah hah hah haaaaah!!_" Bordeaux laughed maniacally as her blade pierced through the girl's guard, and through her chest.

"You like that?!" She demanded, before stabbing her again and again to the cheers of her companions. _"Then take some more!"_

"Yeah! Go Bordeaux!" Negimaru egged on, shooting up his arms up to cheer. "Kill her!"

Bordeaux finally delivered the finishing blow, and the player fell lifelessly to the ground before her, before vanishing in an eerie orange-grey light.

"Heh…easy as ever…" She snickered, turning to face Grein and Negimaru.

"Yeah, that was great Bordeaux! Strong as always!" Negimaru complemented endlessly, before Bordeaux finally held a hand up for him to stop, looking around the blue barrier slowly as she did so.

"Wh-what is it, Bordeaux…?" Negimaru asked, turning his head quickly from side to side as he did so, not understanding what she was searching for.

"…the barrier has not vanished…" Grein pointed out quietly after a few moments of silence.

"H-huh?!" Negimaru looked across to the still glowing blue barrier, before over to Bordeaux. "Wh-what's wrong with the barrier Bordeaux…?"

"Hmph…seems like we have another challenger…" She murmured quietly, a small smile crawling onto her lips.

"Another…what?!" The Twin Blade demanded, only to hear a pair of light foot steps behind himself.

"Hmph…and who're you?" Bordeaux asked, slowly turning to face their newest opponent.

With a small chuckle, he gave nothing more than a mere shrug, before unsheathing a nearly plain thin blade from his side.

"Nothing more than your average PKK, I'd say…" He murmured in an amused response, as his red hair began to waver slightly with the light breeze of the area.

"That so…" Bordeaux muttered, as she held out her rose-thorn blade. "Let's see what you got then, _PKK_…" She said evenly, lowering herself into an attacking position.

Her opponent merely stood easily with his sword pressed against his right leg. He gave no air of threat, nor any sense 'power'.

"Ladies first…" He said with a small polite bow.

"Heh…you'll regret that, punk!" The tan Brandier yelled, as she lunged at the pale man at full speed.

"_EAT THIS!_"

With a small grin, Ado watched her move as if in slow motion.

_With pleasure…_ He thought, before lowering himself into an attacking stance as well, faster than all three could pick up, and lunging right back at her.

_We shall see how long you last…_

-

Eon kicked the Chim Tree with all of her might before ten little blue monsters fell out around its roots. Within seconds all ten Chim Chims where flying away from the enraged Seraphim, crying out small 'kuus' before hitting the ground and vanishing.

_That wasn't very nice…_ Shiruba mentioned with a small chuckle.

"Be quiet…" Eon ordered, stomping towards the next tree in the barren server. Her good eye never strayed from the path ahead, though it never looked directly at the Chim Tree either.

'_Stupid cheating jerk!'_ Were the only words echoing throughout her head until she reached her destination, casually kicking the tree without so much as a glance at it.

Again, ten more Chim Chims fell out, though this time two yellow and eight blue. Eon barely moved an inch before kicking three blue Chims into the tree trunk, and one more into a yellow Chim, before all vanishing into nothingness.

_Good shot…_ Shiruba murmured with interest, as the wolf-girl easily hit the remaining four blue Chims with only two steps.

"I said be quiet…" Eon said in a warning tone, though she knew herself that she couldn't harm the Guardian within her PC body. She brushed off that fact though, as she watched the final yellow Chim run randomly to and fro near the edge of a cliff.

_Hmm…are you going to chase it…?_ The beast asked calmly.

Eon could imagine her golden stare watching her back.

"No…" She muttered quietly after a short pause. "No point…"

_Exactly…_ She said evenly. _So why go out of your way to torture those lil' buggers?_

"Because it's easy, fun, and I don't wanna break my hand on my desk." Eon answered with a flat look in the real world. "_You're_ a Guardian…you can't say that you didn't see that guy cheat!" She suddenly spat angrily, and tossed her head to look in the air, as if she could see Shiruba's large, wolf-like body.

There was silence on both of their parts, before Shiruba made a small sigh.

_Maybe, maybe not…_ She murmured quietly, more so to herself that Eon. _It all depends on what you consider 'cheating'…_

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" The dog-girl asked angrily, but no reply came; she could imagine though, a lazy shrug on Shiruba's behalf.

"As 'helpful' as always…" Eon muttered, crossing her arms and looking up at the sky angrily.

_Then why don't you find out?_ Shiruba questioned after a brief pause.

"Find out what?" The dog-girl asked, ears twitching impatiently.

_If he was cheating or not._ Shiruba answered simply.

"How?" Eon asked, forcing herself to stay cool.

_Simple. Go fifty paces north and enter the battle area. Your little 'friend' is in there._

Eon's eyes widened before turning her PC body to face north. It was faint, but she could see the small, dim blue outline of a battle area in the distance.

"…why didn't you say that earlier…?" Eon asked coldly as she began to jog towards it eagerly.

_You didn't ask._ Shiruba pointed out; another invisible shrug.

Eon growled lowly.

_Always that excuse…_

-

"H-how…?" Bordeaux asked weakly as she fell to her knees. Negimaru and Grein had already died three times, if not more, and she herself was in no better shape by now.

"Hmm…four minutes, thirty seven seconds…I must commend you on your fight; it was longer than most I've faced…" Ado said, all emotions drained from his face as he stepped towards the darker Brandier. "Now, any last words, Bordeaux of Kestrel?"

"Shut up…" Bordeaux said weakly, as she forced herself up and clumsily ran at Ado, rose-thorn blade thrust before herself.

"I see…" Ado said simply, before appearing behind Bordeaux. "So be it then."

Within a blink of an eye, his blade pierced just under Bordeaux's chest, and swept down through her PC body, nearly severing it in two.

"Rest in peace then…"

"_Ag-AGHHH!!"_ She cried out, before falling to her knees once more, and vanishing in an orange-grey light, just as her victims before.

Ado casually spun his blade around, before sheathing it on his left.

"Too easy…" He remarked, before hearing an electric sensation from the barrier outside.

"Hmm…?" He turned to face the source of the sound.

_Someone's entering…? Reinforcements?_ He wondered, and quickly redrew his blade from its sheath.

Within seconds, the barrier's shield gave way, and a silver-haired player dashed in, quickly turning to face him.

They stood there, starring at each other wordlessly, before she slowly moved into a fighting stance; Ado copying the motion as well.

_Hmm…so they called another reinforcement from Kestrel…someone from Team Shinigami no less…_ He thought, eyes narrowing to watch her movement closely as she began to prowl around him like a wolf. _This fight might be more interesting than the last…_

-

_A PKer, huh…_ Eon thought angrily, as she slowly moved around Ado counter clockwise; her good eye always facing him. _He's going down then…_

_Aren't Axel and Hikaru PKer's as well…?_ Shiruba questioned reasonably.

_They are, _Eon answered mentally, _but at least they don't cheat in the Arena._

Ado turned forty five degrees to follow her movement, and Eon suddenly took her chance and lunged at his right, claws out like a feral animal. Ado blocked her easily with his blade, and she separated from him within an instant, before attacking once more, lower. Again, his blade guarded against her attack, and Eon was forced to kick off of it with her foot to get away from his counter; a sweeping strike upwards. The instant she landed on her feet again, Eon quickly hopped to the left, avoiding a long cut from the blade narrowly, before holding up the back of her right arm to guard against a quick diagonal slash.

They held their position for a matter of seconds, both shaking slightly from the force upon one another, before Ado suddenly broke away, hopping twice backwards to give each of them some distance.

Eon's eyes narrowed as noticed the slight indent on her Health Bar.

_I've already taken more damage than him…_ She thought, biting her thumb lightly in the real world. _I've gotta try a different approach…_

Suddenly, as if he read her mind, Ado flipped his sword around in his hand, pointing the blade to the ground, before stabbing it down hard and deep. He murmured a few faint words that Eon could neither hear nor understand, before a black, ominous shadow began to snake its way away from the shadow of the blade, underneath the sword and towards _her_.

Eon's stomach churned uncomfortably, and she couldn't help but step back slowly.

_What is this…?_ She wondered, noting the sun of the area was _behind_ _her_. _It shouldn't be coming this way…_

_Be careful…_ Shiruba warned seriously. _This is not a normal attack…_

_Wow, you think?_ Eon couldn't help but ask sarcastically, as the shadow continued to crawl towards her like something from the undead. Carefully, she measured the distance between herself and the barrier behind her, and slowly began to head towards it, moving ten degrees counter clockwise from Ado with every four steps.

The shadow continued to snake after her at its leisure pace, but began to expand outwards as she avoided it.

Eon clenched her teeth together hard in the real world as she noticed.

_It'll cover the entire battle area at this rate…_ She chomped onto her thumb hard. _I've gotta leave at least SOME place to dodge the attack, whatever it is…_

Eon suddenly slowed her steps, allowing the shadow to catch up to her more quickly. It snaked in an arc-like fashion, still attached to Ado's blade.

_C'mon then…let's see what you've got, PKer…_

-

Ado cocked an eyebrow in interest as Eon slowed.

_So she'll face it, even though she doesn't know what it is…_ He thought, allowing himself a small grin. _Interesting PKer…most would avoid with all costs…_

His ink-black shadow slowly cornered the girl, leaving all but the little space she was standing in clean of its grasp, and a small chunk behind Ado and to his left. It swirled around her, almost invisible in the hot server, slowly closing in until there was not a spec of land for either of them to see. The dog-girl tossed her head left to right slowly, eyes scanning the ground for any sort of attack. Her ears were flat wearily, and her tail's fur standing on end. She could tell it was a risky choice…

Ado's smile widened a bit, as he lifted his right foot from the ground, and held it over the shadow.

_This will end it…_ He thought, before stamping down on the inky blackness with all of his might.

As if some sort of liquid, there was a ripple all through the shadow. Neither he nor the girl flinched. They both knew at least _that_ part was harmless…

Silence filled the air.

Neither of them stirred, other than the girl's eyes slowly scanning the ground. She stood at a strange angle for Ado; her head facing to the right slightly, and lowered a bit.

_No matter…_ Ado thought calmly after surveying her for a few moments. _No one has ever escaped this move and survived…_

Suddenly, a pulse-like sensation came, making both of them tingle slightly. Ado stood unfazed, but the girl flinched a bit, before calmly taking her stance once more.

Ado cocked an eyebrow in the real world. Normally, they were too shocked to regain their composure…what a strange girl…

Another pulse came, only this time a bit louder; slightly shaking the battle area. Both players stood ready; the dog-girl's eyes slowly looking back up at Ado, before to the pool of absolute blackness surrounding her once more.

Ado made a silent grunt.

_Here it comes…_

-

Eon's ears perked suddenly. Her head twitched from side to side as fast as a bird's, and her hair stood on end, even in the real world.

_It's coming, be ready!_ Shiruba warned sternly. _You cannot be hit by this, understand?!_

_As if I didn't already KNOW that…_ Eon thought to herself, before lowering her PC body towards the ground, and standing on the balls of her feet, ready.

It came like a wave, tunnelling underneath the darkness; it would have been downright invisible, if not for the server's bright sun directly behind the wolf-girl.

_Here it comes…_ Eon thought, all nerves on end. Her body itched to run, to jump, to hide, but she knew she couldn't move _just_ yet. One moment's error could mean the end of the fight...herself the loser…

_I can't take any risks…_ she told herself, as the wave continued to rush towards her, zeroing in on her exact location, and becoming smaller and smaller by the second. It sunk lower into the blackness, obviously trying to go about a ground assault, and Eon's ears moved down and backwards. Her eyes slit dangerously, as she watched closely the movement of the burrowing wave, as if it was alive itself.

_Shiruba, can you tell when it comes up?_ She asked, though already knew the answer.

_No…_ The beast answered unnecessarily. _As I said…it is not a normal move…it is like asking me to measure an AIDA Explicant's conciseness._

Eon made a small grunt in her throat, as the wave suddenly dived under the sea of shadow, and everything went silent.

Neither she nor he stirred, her looking at the ground carefully, and him looking at her calmly.

Eon's ears lightly twitched carefully, as she moved her head to look at the ground. She did not want to risk moving her body in any way, or risk being caught at an awkward angle. She breathed as lightly as she could in the real world, trying to listen carefully for the sound of pulsing, digging, _anything_!...but nothing could be heard. It was as if the wave had vanished off of the face of The World.

"Hmm…" Eon suddenly growled, as her eye strayed a bit too far from the ground, noticing Ado's stance. Her ears suddenly twitched with interest, before pretending to look back at the ground again; the corner of her eye watching him carefully, as he slowly raised his hand into the air.

_So that's it…the trick to your technique…_

-

Ado lifted his hand slowly, and pushed his fingers towards the palm of his hand, never straying his eyes from the pool of darkness surrounding himself and the girl.

His black eyes watched her with interest, being the only character to ever last this long with him solo, but he had no time to 'play' with weaklings like her…it was time to end this…and what better way than an original technique?

_Now, to finish you, PKer…_ He thought, as all five fingers were enclosed in his palm. He lifted his arm high into the air slowly, opening his mouth as he did so.

With a brief pause, Ado held his hand in the air, wondering if he should say anything to the girl. She fought well, he had to admit…but no individual player would beat him…not like this, at least…

At last, he decided to save any words, or risk insulting her efforts, before throwing down his hand fast, and extending his fingers out as he did so; palm down to the inky darkness below them.

"_Shadow Spikes!_" He called loudly, as the ground beneath them shook rapidly. The shadow shook, rippled and churned around the dog-girl, throwing off any chance of figuring out _where_ the attack would come from, nonetheless _what_ the attack would be like, and Ado grinned lightly.

_This is the end…_ He thought, before looking from his dark attack, and to the dog-girl.

With the shaking of the battle area, it was hard to tell at first, but after a matter of seconds of looking at her, he noticed something…something different than most players, PKer's or no, that he had ever seen or fought…

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes confusedly as he looked at the girl…it was such a strange sight to him…

She was smiling…smiling wholeheartedly at that…

-

Eon didn't bother looking at the shadow anymore, as she smiled at Ado.

_I dunno where it'll come from…_ She admitted to herself, _but…it doesn't matter…because, no matter what it is…I won't lose…not to you, and not to anyone…!_

_Heh heh…I like your spirit, brat!_ Shiruba barked, her invisible golden eyes ablaze. _Let's get this guy!_

With that, Eon crossed her arms before her chest in an 'x' fashion, and shot her wings out from her back in a small flaming tempest. She stood low, eyes surveying the ground evenly, before suddenly rushing in two feet, narrowly avoiding a sudden Reaper's Dance-style spike flying out of the ground from her previous position.

"Heh…that all…?" She questioned, as she dug her right claw into the ground, and hopped away on all fours, narrowly avoiding a second, only for it to fly high into the air with the first.

She kicked herself around and did a back flip to avoid one more of the spikes, only to be clipped in the side by a fourth one. She grunted lightly, but quickly extended her wings and glided away from two more, trailing up after herself.

_That's six…_ She noted, her good eye watching the ground carefully.

She suddenly tilted her left wing inwards, making a sharp left turn, narrowly avoiding a seventh one, before quickly pulling in both wings, her nose skimming the eighth.

Eon held her breath as the eighth one flew up, taking off a miniscule chunk of her remaining HP.

_Th-that was close…_ She noted, seeing her Hit Points nearly at half. The wolf-girl looked up at the sky, with all eight spikes twirling magically, slowly spinning in a clockwise circle.

_Wait for it…_ Shiruba warned, as the spikes slowly began to lower themselves towards the players.

Eon's stomach churned as she watched the spikes begin to raise their speed on their decent, before duplicating into two, then four each.

Her eyes widened in the real world, as well as The World.

_This…is not good…_

Eon slowly took a step back as she watched them begin to rain down randomly within the battle area. She dived out of the way of one of the spikes, just to narrowly avoid a second.

"Eep…!"

-

Ado watched in genuine disbelief, as the wolf-like child continued to dodge the spikes narrowly.

_Normally the players would be dead by now…_ He thought, narrowing his eyes. _Just who is this girl…?_

He watched as she continued to roll, jump, and pivot, before noticing the general direction of her dodges; towards himself.

…_so that's it…_ he though, a small, amused grin on his face. _She saw straight through the attack…_

With little reason to continue the merciless rain of spikes, Ado quickly drew his blade from the earth, making the shadow and spikes vanish instantaneously. He flicked it to his side casually, before entering an attacking position once more; the dog-girl slowly copying after regaining her composure.

She was breathing heavily and shaking slightly from the attack, but she watched him carefully nonetheless. It was obvious that she wasn't going to make this an easy win for him…

"Hmm…" Ado grunted, suddenly allowing a small grin onto his face. "You did very well…" Eon growled at him threateningly, as he expected, but he continued. "You are the first player ever to see through my Shadow Spikes technique…" He explained, placing the tip of his sword lightly onto the ground as he did so. "May I ask how you did it…?"

The wolf-girl was silent for a matter of seconds, before allowing a small shrug, assured that he would not strike her.

"Call it a feeling." She admitted. "I just…knew it…"

"I see…" Ado murmured with a small grin. "Well then…shall we continue then?"

Eon grunted as she raised her claws again, bouncing her weight from the balls of her feet.

"I will take that as a 'yes' then." The Brandier said calmly, as he raised his sword as well, flicking it to his side, before holding it before himself. "I shall finish this then…"

-

Eon's eyes narrowed at those five words.

_We'll see about that…_ She thought, as her ears perked up intently.

_I won't let you cheat…_

Ado suddenly rushed at her, more quickly than she anticipated, bringing his sword down onto her hard. She just barely had a chance to defend against the blade, before he suddenly slackened his grip, and flipped the blade around, lifting her off of her feet.

Eon couldn't hide the shock from her face as he did so, before he flipped her into the air easily. There was a second's pause before Eon was able to react, and just narrowly shot her wings out to slow her decent, throwing off the Brandier's second strike to a mere clip of the leg.

She landed harshly, before collapsing onto her left side, grunting with a look at her HP bar.

_Stupid defence stat…_ She scorned mentally, as quickly looked to Ado's previous position.

He wasn't there.

Eon's ears flattened backwards, and she growled even more threateningly than before.

_He did it again…_ Were the only words that she could think of.

Her head was spinning. Everything was going by so fast now. She looked to the left and right, but no Ado could be seen. The wolf-girl made a small howl of anger, before quickly forcing herself to pivot on the spot, making her legs turn in a more than awkward position on the ground, before taking her right arm to guard against a strike.

With an in pained growl, she forced herself to pivot once more, (nearly sprawling herself onto the ground as she did so) to bring up her left arm up to guard against another invisible attack, before slashing at the air.

Eon's eyes narrowed viciously, as she looked around the area, and finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She raised her head into the air, and cried out angrily as loudly as she could, before slamming her fists into the ground, and forcing herself to sit on her knees weakly.

"Enough is enough, you cheater!" She called, glaring at the ground; stifling small sobs of anger in the real world. "Why can't you just fight fairly?!" The wolf-girl demanded, hitting the ground again hard.

"Why can't you just stop warping?!"

-

Ado nearly tripped over his own two feet when he heard the comment about 'warping'; nearly making him slam head-first into the barrier. He quickly managed to catch his footing though, and stood before the dog-girl in utter shock.

"How did you know that I was warping?!" He demanded.

Eon was silent for a matter of seconds, before finally forcing herself to stand up weakly. She glared at the Brandier in full distaste, before pointing at him angrily.

"I _didn't_ until you just TOLD me!" She yelled.

Ado couldn't help but allow his jaw to drop, before placing his hand on his face tiredly.

"I can't believe I just said that…" He murmured to himself.

"Neither can I, cheater…" Eon growled. "You did the same thing in the Arena too!"

"H-hey, look…it's not what you think…" Ado started, but Eon cut him off with a glare.

"It isn't? Then tell me why it's a _rule_, from _CC CORP._ that warping is illegal?!" She demanded, shaking with anger. "How can you say 'it's not what you think'?! You're character was obviously hacked anyway! That spell with the spikes wasn't part of the game either!"

Ado watched Eon calmly until she finally finished speaking; her PC body shaking from anger and weakness.

"Are you done?" He asked, his black eyes emotionless for the most part.

She nodded her head once after a deep breath, but continued to glare at him angrily.

"Good, then allow me to explain myself." Ado said, sheathing his sword easily. "First off, I'll admit, my character _was_ manipulated in some way…but was not yours as well?"

Eon made a defiant grunt, but the expression on her face told him all.

"All right, secondarily, since my character was indeed manipulated, it therefore must have…original techniques, no?" He asked again. "Such as yours and your 'Flare' ability

Eon made a low growl in her throat, but Ado continued.

"Then I'll cut to the chase, if you're _that_ impatient…" He said with a small chuckle. "Simply, 'Through the Shadows' is an ability that my new character has, thanks to the…upgrade."

"'Upgrade'?" Eon asked, her eyes narrowed. "How can you put a _hack_ like that?"

Ado shrugged lazily.

"Simple, I wasn't the one that did the hacking, nor was it something that I _wanted_." He explained. "Call it a…_gift_…from CC Corp."

Eon looked at him carefully, before flicking her head away to look at the barrier. It was obvious he wasn't lying.

Ado scratched the back of his head, before sighing.

"Still mad at me, huh?" He asked, Eon's silence being his answer. He sighed once more, before looking at the sky tiredly. "Well if you're going to be like that…then at least let me apologize…" He asked.

Eon's ear twitched as she crossed her arms ignorantly.

Ado sighed exasperatedly, before holding out his hand.

"Here." He said, holding a light strip of data. "This is my Member's Address. After you log out today, check your E-mail. I'll give you a little…present…" He explained, before turning his back towards her, and stepping towards the barrier.

Eon looked over her shoulder to the Brandier curiously, before he waved a hand over his shoulder.

"Characters can't leave a battle area until one or the other either dies or forfeits…so I concede." He said calmly as the blue flames quickly died down to nothingness. With a slight shake of his hand, Ado gave a simple 'bye', before quickly teleporting out of the area, leaving Eon to watch the blue ripples vanish after him.

After a minute of silence, Eon nibbled on her thumb again in the real world, before making her PC body reach for the floating blue strip of spiralling data.

"_**Gained Ado's Member's Address!"**_ The screen sang as she gripped the data, making it vanish in a blue-white light.

"A present, huh…?" She questioned, looking at her PC body's hand as she did so. She flexed the fingers in and out, before making a fist, then slashing the air before herself with a pointed claw.

"This aughta be good…" She murmured sarcastically, before heading towards the Warp Panel, and teleporting out of the area as well.

-

--Epsilon: Holy Forsaken Capital--

-

"You were quite generous today…" An orange-clad man said, taking a seat next to a round table.

With a small chuckle, Justice took his seat on the opposite end of the table from him, and gave a simple shrug.

"These are children we are dealing with, CCcronie…you cannot expect them to do all that _we_ want, unless _they_ get something out of it as well…" He explained easily.

"Oh-ho…?" The tall Admin asked, leaning against the table, and looking at Justice with cold eyes. "Then what about allowing them to join the Tournament then? You know as well as I do, how dangerous that could be. You _allowed_ them the right to bring no support in their party there!" He accused.

"So I did." Justice said calmly, before rotating his chair to the side slightly. He shut his eyes for a long moment, before looking at CCcronie with them at an angle. "So what? No matter _how_ good they are, there is no way that they could have made it into the Tournament, CCcronie. I made sure of that." He explained.

The orange Admin opened his mouth to protest and accuse, but Justice held up his hand for him to stop. In this server, he was boss…

"I will _explain_ it for you then, CCcronie." Justice said tiredly, as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "First off, even before they came to the meeting, they were only rank _eleven_ of eight. That would mean they would at _least_ need another five hundred WP Points to enter, saying that the teams ahead of them did not participate any longer."

"Secondarily, we made sure that the players Axel and Hikaru were with us longer than necessary. This made it harder for them to gain any points, if they could not participate in the Arena." He pointed out calmly.

"That leaves the girl though, Justice." CCcronie said angrily. "She's a _soloist_! She's _used_ to fighting alone!"

"Ah, I am well aware of that, CCcronie." Justice said. "But you must take ALL things into account." He examined a ring on his finger for a long moment, before continuing. "Just look at her statistics now. Her defences, both magical and physical, are blaintly, pathetic. One powerful move, and she would be taken out of a match." He laced his fingers together, and held them before his chin. "Nonetheless…I made sure that there were too many teams for her to participate in the Arena between now and the end of ranking." He explained.

"Hmm…" CCcronie grunted, before grinning in satisfaction.

"If that is what you say, Justice…then I have no reason to doubt you…" He murmured.

"Precisely" The blonde Admin said calmly. "It is impossible for them to make the ranking, so close to the end of the deadline…"

-

--Ippikiookami Residence: A Half Hour Later--

-

Eon's fingers tapped irritably on her desk as she looked at the screen before herself. One little box continued to glow faintly, flashing '1 new message'.

"So…yeah…that's about it…" Axel said quietly into the phone, after explaining the conditions with G.U. "We're gonna have to go with at least one of those people there for now on…"

Eon's fingers stopped tapping suddenly, and her nails dug into the desk hard.

"I see…" She murmured, trying to keep her cool.

"Yeah…" He muttered back, surprised that she didn't throw anything.

Eon shut her eyes for along moment, before looking back at the blinking box.

"I guess we didn't make it into the Tournament then, either…" she said quietly, eyes narrowing a bit with regret. "I couldn't get in to fight…"

There was silence on the line, before Axel said, "Yeah…too bad too…they said that we could go in alone…"

Eon shut her eyes tightly, before hitting the desk with fist.

"Yeah…"

Both were quiet for a long moment, until a light voice called for Axel.

"Oh…just a minute; Hikki wants something." He said, before all went completely silent on the other end.

Eon made a small grunt, before pressing the speaker button on the phone, and placing it back into the holder. She then took her controller and scrolled to the side two, reaching the 'E-mail' option.

_Might as well check it now…_ She thought, opening it.

After a few seconds of loading, a box popped up again, warning her of a new message…as if she didn't know…before she exited it and saw the actual unopened E-mail.

She squinted slightly as she read the sender.

"CC Corp…?" Eon muttered in disbelief.

_That guy was with CC Corp…?_ She wondered tiredly, before opening the E-mail.

"Dear player Eon…blah blah blah…yatta yatta yatta…" She murmured, reading the useless formal introductions. "We are pleased to inform you that you and your Team, Team Shinigami, have officially been accepted into the Rankings of the Warrior Palace Torn…a…ment…" She stared at the screen with large eyes, utterly shocked.

"H-how?!" She demanded, scrolling down to read the details.

_**After achieving near-enough WP Points, you were rewarded by an anonymous player the WP amount of 55 000 WP. Because of this, you and your Team have now been accepted into the Warrior Palace Tournament, in the A-Stream, in 3**__**rd**__** place. Congratulations on your achievement! The schedule for fights will soon be posted on the official The World homepage. Please check regularly for your first match.**_

_**Thank you for you patronage in The World.**_

Eon's fingers twitched confusedly, as she tried to make sense of what she just read.

"Eon…did you just get an E-mai—" Axel started, but before he could finish, Eon flicked the 'call end' button. She was too shocked, nonetheless dumbfounded to talk to him right now.

'_fwwa!'_

Eon hopped a bit with the new message sound, before exiting the CC Corp. E-mail. She quickly looked at the sender's name, before instantly opening the E-mail.

_**Sender: Ado**_

Eon read the one sentence on the page, before clenching her hand into a fist hard on her desk.

"That jerk…we didn't _need_ his help…!" She growled.

_**I hoped you liked your present.**_

_**Ado**_

-

* * *

-

Yippee! It's finally OVER! (Collapses)

16368 words on this word count…that's a _lot…_

All right, listen up, chapter rant time!

First off, top…five reasons I didn't update until now!

1) I'm lazy.

2) I was out of ideas until just recently.

3) I just got a job. (Oh whee…I just _love_ it too…)

4) I just finished finals not too long ago.

5) My arm hurts! Gimmee a break!

You'd better enjoy this chapter, Dusk...took me long enough to get Ado to sound cool for you... (Though really, it was fun trying to give him cool moves...) (Dun hurt me for changing 'Shadow Spikes' a bit!) (Hides)

Hooray for clichédness! I _swear_ those Admins had nothing better to do than be clichéd at the end of the chapter… But I used what…ten, twenty clichés this chapter? Yeah, running on Empty… That's party due to the fact that I worked _EIGHT _hours yesterday! So I'm _tired…_

As for _what_ my job is, I work at the theatre now. _Whee_…! The only place that'll hire me, since they're severely understaffed. That, and it's the second most popular theatre in Canada…pick your choice. I've been working at the café the last few days…making frozen yogurt and coffee…jeez…I can't make that stupid milk foam! _CURSES TO ALL YOU WHO DRINK LATTÉS OUT THERE…OR HOWEVER YOU SPELL THEM!!_

_Ahem…_I'm okay now…

Currently, 44 pages…I know I said I didn't wanna write anymore _looooong_ chapters anymore, but this one makes up for the three and a half months of lateness. 8) b (Sucky smiley! WHEE! Just look at that thumbs up!)

All right, I'm running out of stuff to rant about, so listen up people! I had a goal, to get this out on the 13th! Why, you may ask? Because, the _14__th_is my _BIRTHDAY!_ And I gotta work then! (Aren't I lucky…)

So yeah…be nice and gimmee the present of a review, because I already know that my 'B-day' is gonna suck. I'll either be stuck doing more café junk, or be cleaning theatres. Nice way to spend my day. Nearly 8 hours of work that day. _Fun…_ (Schedule says 'HD' for 'House Door'…which means I _should_ be ripping tickets tomorrow…for seven and a half hours…)

Yeah…just tell me what you think of the overly long chapter, and it'll make me feel better when I actually find the time to get on again…

I dunno when the next chapter update will be, since, again, I'm running low on ideas (Send me an E-mail if you've got any ideas. Not _immediately_ going to the Tournament though…) so it might take a while otherwise…I might just write a 6000-some word chapter though, for a quick update before I go camping. ' ' b Thumbs up.

Okay…now I'm outta ideas, other than _birthdays suck!_ :P Personal experience for the past ten years. So, until next time pukos… (Awaiting Miffin mote…)(MN: :D)See you!

(Fanfiction word count is 17463 words...that's a_ looooot_...)


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